Broken Heart, Lost Soul
by MistressDarkness
Summary: Bo feels powerless to help Kenzi after the events of 4x11, but she's determined to do anything she can for her best friend. Warning: Major spoilers for 4x11, don't read if you haven't seen that episode yet or if you haven't read spoilers for it already.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Another new fic?! What is this nonsense?! I know I know, I should be working on Tortura, which I am by the way, but after watching that latest episode to air in Canada, I couldn't focus on anything but this. If you have not seen 4x11 "End of a Line" then leave now before you're majorly spoiled. I don't cry during tv shows or movies, but I cried during those last two scenes. I yelled at my tv, gripped my head, and literally said "oh God, no" as tears ran down my face. Ksenia's acting was amazing in that scene, utterly heartbreaking and agonizing but amazing all the same. Her emotions were so raw and real, I've never seen a death scene as good as what that episode gave us. Despite it being beautifully done in terms of television, in terms of being a part of this fandom we were all left feeling like Bo: helpless, powerless to ease Kenzi's pain, and devastated at losing a beloved character/friend. And as you all know, I love Bo & Kenzi's friendship, so hearing Kenzi say she didn't care if she died and Bo telling her she would always choose her just about tore me apart.

Okay, I could literally ramble about that forever, but I must move on. I had a totally different one shot idea in mind when I began writing this, but then my muse took over and decided I should write a short chapter story (maybe around 5 chapters) and it will go in a completely different direction than I had originally planned. I may get around to that one shot eventually, but for now I am sticking with this. Let me know if you like it!

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Kenzi's breathing was sporadic, interrupted by hiccups as she lay across Hale's body, her head in Bo's lap. Bo's hand absentmindedly stroked through the younger woman's hair, trying her best to provide any comfort she could. The succubus's tears had dried up, knowing that as much as she wanted to, now was the not the time for her to lose it. She needed to focus on Kenzi and her well-being and she couldn't do that if she was having a meltdown of her own.

Without warning, Hale's body began to shimmer, disintegrating into tiny glowing orbs that flew upwards before fading away. Kenzi thudded to the ground, no longer being supported by her lover. She gasped, her mind finally catching up to what was happening. She bolted upright, her hands frantically trying to catch the orbs as they slipped through her fingers. "No!" she yelled. "No no no no!" She caught the last one, a faint smile crossing her lips at her small success in such a dark time, but when she opened her hand, there was nothing in it. "No, you can't leave me!" she cried.

Bo grabbed Kenzi as she collapsed, preventing her from slamming hard into the ground. "Kenzi," she whispered, pushing hair out of the distraught woman's face. Kenzi gasped for air as her body attempted to sob again, only to have run out of tears. "Baby," she hugged Kenzi to herself, feeling her best friend trembling against her. "I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

"Where did he go? Why," she breathed hard, "why is he gone?" She whimpered, trying to bury herself deeper into Bo's embrace, her head lying against her roommate's chest. "What the hell just happened?!"

Bo's eyes scanned the crack shack, trying to figure out the very same thing for herself. As far as she knew, dead fae didn't just dematerialize into thin air. "I don't know sweetheart, I don't know. I wish I had all the answers for you, I really do, but I just don't know." She rubbed the girl's back, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from crying again. She had to be strong for Kenzi.

"He was just here," Kenzi whispered in disbelief. "I was, he…" her small hands gripped Bo's shirt with all of her might. "I wasn't ready, I didn't get to say goodbye," her voice cracked. She stayed in Bo's arms, not knowing what else to do with herself. So many thoughts raced through her mind, some made sense while others seemed completely incoherent. She was a total mess, and she had no idea how to even begin to pick up the pieces of her life, or rather what was left of them.

"I know," Bo continued soothingly, "I'll figure this out for you, I promise."

Kenzi tiled her head up, utterly confused by her friend's statement. "What?"

The older woman kissed Kenzi's forehead affectionately. "There's someone I need to talk to, someone who may at the very least be able to give you the answers you need."

"Trick?" Kenzi asked, his name being the only one that popped into her head when it came to knowledgeable fae.

She shook her head, "no. Someone who told me I would see them again shortly, and I think I now know why."

Kenzi pulled back slighty from Bo, a look of shock and hurt crossing her face. "Wait, you know who did this? Was Massimo working with another person?"

"No, I mean, I don't know," Bo said flustered, not liking the turn this conversation was taking. "She said someone I love would soon die, so I think she's somehow a part of this."

Kenzi jumped away from Bo as if she had been shocked. "You knew?" she spit out. "You knew one of us was going to die, and you didn't say anything? You knew _he _would die and you kept it from me?" Fiery anger danced in her watery eyes. She walked away a few steps, trying to comprehend the information she had just received, before turning sharply back around and stalking towards the succubus. "Out of all of the things you could hide from me!" she screamed at Bo. "You went all high and mighty on me when I didn't tell you I had kissed Dyson, but never once did I _ever_ keep anything life threatening from you!" she shoved a shaking finger in Bo's face, causing the fae to take a step back. "How could you do this to me?! _To me_?!" she emphasized.

"Kenzi, I didn't know-" Bo began, trying to get her best friend to calm down, only to have it backfire on her.

"You didn't know?!" she scoffed. "You knew damn well that someone close to you would soon be sent to hell and you didn't even warn us! What if it was me who died Bo? How the hell would you feel then if you let me be murdered without so much as a warning?" she threw in the succubus's face. Kenzi's body trembled with barely controlled rage. It took everything in her not to hit the woman she had considered to be her sister. "You know what, you were wrong this morning. I don't still have a best friend, and I don't think I've had one for a long time now."

Despite knowing Kenzi's grief was driving her words, what she had said stung deeply. Unwanted tears streamed down Bo's face. "You don't mean that," she choked.

Kenzi's face hardened. "Try me."

"Kenzi, please I-"

"Get out," Kenzi whispered, her voice cracking. Bo came closer to Kenzi but the girl pulled away. "I said get out!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking Bo out of her own house.

Bo drew a hand over her heart, feeling it shatter under the weight of Hale's death, Kenzi's pain, and her best friend's dismissal. "Okay," she said softly, not knowing how else to get Kenzi to calm down. "Okay." She walked towards the door, stopping for a minute with one hand resting on the door frame. "I'm so sorry Kenzi. The last thing I would ever want to do in this world is hurt you. Just know I'll never stop thinking of you as my sister, and I'll never stop loving you." With that, she left.

Kenzi's knees finally gave out, her body crashing to the floor. Gut-wrenching sobs wracked her body. She rocked herself back and forth, unable to deal with the turmoil of emotions she felt. Her mind was still trying to process Hale's death, and now she felt like she had just lost the only family she had left. Part of her wanted nothing more than to run after Bo, dive into her arms, and cry herself to sleep in the safety and warmth of her best friend. The other part of her refused to move from the floor, refused to find any comfort in the one person who may have been able to prevent this, if only she had warned them. She scoffed at herself; Bo was not the only person to blame. None of this would have happened if Kenzi hadn't given that stupid fucking twig to Massimo. But it went even further than that. If she hadn't gone to Massimo to begin with, if she had just listened to Bruce when he tried to warn her, if she hadn't been so damn selfish by wanting to be fae, then all of this never would have come to pass. Her heart ached so badly, she had wanted to blame someone else, she had _needed_ to blame someone else. Her arms encircled her body, gripping them tightly in her white-knuckled fists, leaving crescent shaped cuts. Small red rivulets trailed down her pale skin.

Now that Bo was gone and she was alone, her anger quickly dissipated. Almost instantly, she wanted the succubus back by her side. She forced herself to get up, to run out the front door. "Bo?!" she called, praying for a response. Her last shred of hope left her when she saw the yellow Camaro was nowhere to be found. "God no," she whispered. She dragged herself back inside, fumbling through her belongings until she found her cell phone. She cursed as her shaking fingers hit the wrong buttons. She shook out her hand, trying to regain some control over her motor skills. Finally, she was able to hit the right speed dial key to call Bo. Her heart dropped when it went straight to voicemail. "Bo, please. I'm so sorry," she cried into the phone. "Please come back home. I-I can't lose you too," she was crying so hard, her words were barely intelligible. "Please don't leave me." Her sobs quickly overtook her again. She looked at her phone, trying to end the call but all of the buttons looked blurry. She chucked it across the room in frustration, gripping her head as she realized she had just pushed her only true friend away, maybe for good this time.

Bo sat in her car, parked around the corner from the crack shack. She couldn't leave Kenzi alone and unprotected, not when she was so vulnerable and with the Massimo still out there somewhere. The last time she had left is when all of this shit had gone down, but at the same time, she couldn't go back inside as much as she wanted to. She had a plan, and if she went to Kenzi now, she knew that she would never leave. It was now or never. She kept telling herself that her presence there had obviously upset Kenzi even more, trying to push herself to actually be able to drive away. She slammed her hands hard into the steering wheel over and over, pummeling it, taking out her frustrations on the car. She panted from the exertion, her hair falling in front of her face. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her cell phone, dialing a now familiar number.

After a few rings, Tamsin answered. "Hello?"

"Tamsin, you need to go home to Kenzi right now," Bo demanded.

"Bo? Wait, what," then the realization of what Bo had just told her hit her hard, fear griping her stronger than it ever had before, "what's wrong with Kenzi?"

"Hale…he, he…" Bo tried to say, the raw emotions still wreaking havoc on her.

Tamsin gritted her teeth, "he didn't hurt her did he?"

"No, god no," she whispered. "He, Tamsin, he was murdered, in front of Kenzi."

All of her anger directed at the siren instantly dissipated. Tamsin was silent for a moment, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. "Kenzi…" she said softly, her concern for the human overriding the larger picture.

"Hale was protecting her. Massimo came back for revenge, he uh, he beat her Tamsin. Hale pulled him off of her. I don't know the whole story, but all I know is that Hale died saving Kenzi from him," Bo explained as best as she could from the bits of information she was able to piece together.

Acacia's warning about Massimo still being alive rang loud in Tamsin's head. He was back, and he sought to take out those who had tried to kill him. "Damn it," she cursed, mostly directed at herself for not realizing his plan sooner. Of course he would want to take out Kenzi and Bo, and Kenzi was the easiest target. "I'm going to kill him, for good this time," Tamsin vowed, her voice cold and deadly. Her eyes grew dark. Last time she had faced Massimo, she was still 'growing up' during her rebirth, but now she had her memories back and she knew who she was and what she had to do. She wasn't that naïve frightened little girl anymore. This was the last straw. He had gone too far.

"Tamsin no!" Bo shouted. "Don't!" Bo broke Tamsin's train of thought, her eyes returning to normal. "Trust me, I want to kill him as much as you do, but now is not the time. Kenzi's at the clubhouse, she can't be alone right now."

"Where the hell are you?!" Tamsin yelled at her, shocked the succubus would leave the young woman by herself after everything that had happened.

"I'm on my way to hopefully fix things, to make this right. Kenzi doesn't want to see me right now anyways," Bo finished sadly.

Tamsin listened bewildered on the other end of the line. Why would Kenzi push Bo away, especially when Kenzi so clearly needed her.

"Just please Tamsin," Bo asked, "go be with her. She needs someone with her, if not for emotional support, then to protect her incase Massimo comes back. She's in no condition to fight, and I don't even know if she would try to defend herself at this point." An image inserted itself into Bo's vision of Kenzi just standing there and welcoming death as Massimo stabbed her like he did Hale. She had told Bo earlier that she didn't care if she died, and with her emotions controlling her actions, Bo was afraid that may be true.

Bo could hear shuffling on the other end as Tamsin slid her jacket on. "I'm on my way. Don't do anything stupid succubus. She can't afford to lose you," Tamsin told her, 'and neither can I,' she thought.

Another long pause before Bo said, "take care of her." Not waiting for a response, she hung up.

Tamsin stared at her phone. "Damn it, why didn't that reassure me any?" she muttered. She exited the bar she was in. After kissing Dyson in the Dal earlier, both of them had had second thoughts, knowing their hearts lied elsewhere. Tamsin had hoped a night of passion would ease the pain of not being able to have the one she truly loves, but she realised she couldn't go through with it, so she went out for a drink where she knew no one else would find her: a dark fae bar. In any of her other lives, she wouldn't have thought twice about a one-night stand, but after being raised by Kenzi, she had newfound emotions and morals that she was still coming to terms with.

Kenzi…her thoughts instantly focused back on the young human who was currently sitting broken hearted in the crack shack, alone. She ran out into the cold crisp air. Waiting for a taxi would take too long. Pulling out her old police badge from her previous life that she conveniently not returned, she commandeered someone's car for 'police business' before speeding off into the darkness.

The hair on the back of Bo's neck stood on end when she watched a strange car race towards the clubhouse and park haphazardly in front of it. She relaxed, seeing the blonde hair of the valkyrie rush into the building. Knowing that Kenzi was now safe, Bo restarted the engine, shifting into gear before driving away. Bo stopped her Camaro to the edge of a forest had recently visited. She sighed deeply before getting out of the car, pulling out her cell phone to see she had missed a call from Kenzi. She bit her lip, seeing the voicemail notification. Either the words contained in that message would be yelled at her in anger or they would be ridden with guilt, both choices would ultimately add another irreparable crack in her already fragile heart. She finally gathered up enough nerve to listen to the voicemail, unable to ignore her best friend in favour of protecting herself. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes, hearing Kenzi beg for Bo to come home. Her resolve began to crumble, willing to do anything to ease the other woman's pain. She quickly steeled herself, knowing that what she was about to do was the only real way Kenzi would feel better. She needed to get Hale back.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm glad you like it so far. I was hoping to get more of this posted before the new episode aired, but I ran out of time. I wanted to post the majority of the story before tonight incase any of it overlaps with the rest of the season, but oh well. I think I'm already taking a major turn from the show anyways. I made this chapter a bit longer, and I only hope I am doing the fandom justice with this. I hope you like it, and please review! I'll be watching for reviews as I eagerly await tonight's new episode. The rate things are going in the show, I may need reviews as cheer-up medicine.

**Chapter 2**

Tamsin disregarded every law she broke as she sped towards the clubhouse, her mind only focused on Kenzi. She slammed on the brakes, parking the borrowed car half on the sidewalk and half on the street. She didn't even bother to close the driver's side door as she sprinted through the decaying building's entrance.

The valkyrie didn't know what to expect when she darted inside, but she was completely unprepared for the intense wave of fear, despair, guilt and death rolling off of the petite Russian, slamming into her full force. She took a step back to brace herself against the onslaught, calling on a strength she hadn't had to use since her days scouring abandoned battlefields for fallen warriors to take to Valhalla.

Kenzi sat in the middle of the floor on her knees, her legs splayed out to either side with her back facing Tamsin. "Kenzi?" she asked tentatively, slowly approaching the other woman. She received no response. Tamsin wasn't sure what to do. She had been so concerned about Kenzi that she had rushed home, only to realize that she had no idea how to comfort her once she got there. She was a valkyrie; she didn't do comfort. Her whole life was surrounded by death. She didn't sympathize with people or try to make them feel better. And yet here she was, her focus solely on the broken girl before her, and her only want was to heal Kenzi's pain.

She knelt down in front of Kenzi, the human's eyes staring blankly at the floor, not even registering the blonde's presence. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Bo was right. Kenzi would be easy prey if Massimo, or anyone for that matter, came looking for trouble. Tamsin sat uncomfortably for a few minutes, waiting to see if Kenzi would acknowledge her. She reached out, putting her hand underneath Kenzi's chin to raise her head up. Ice blue eyes finally met green ones. Tear stains trailed down her pale face, mascara running along the same path. Tamsin bit her lip, unprepared for the tidal wave of emotion she felt at seeing the woman who raised her so beat down. Instead of thinking, she followed her instincts, wrapping her arms around the smaller figure.

Kenzi drew in a shuddering breath, returning the gesture. "What did I do Tamsin? What did I do…" she asked, her voice hoarse from crying.

Tamsin pulled back, holding the Russian's forearms. "You didn't do this," she said adamantly, "you hear me? Massimo did. It's his fault not yours."

Kenzi shook her head hard, "no you don't get it! I made him immortal." At Tamsin's questioning look, she continued. "I…you were still little. Do you remember dumping a special cream down the toilet?" She took the valkyrie's cringe as a sign that she did indeed remember. "After that I showed you what the cream could do, the mini fireworks display shooting from my hands. That…I got that from Massimo," she admitted.

Tamsin tried to keep her anger at bay, not wanting Kenzi to see it. "What did he want in return?" she immediately asked, being personally familiar with the druid's notoriously outrageous demands.

"Too much," she whispered knowingly. "I had no choice at the time. I was living alone unprotected and the Una Mens were hunting humans, specifically Bo's claimed human after the Morrigan named me as a terrorist," she rambled, trying to justify her decision, but after it cost Hale his life, it seemed like a feeble excuse. "The temporary powers made me able to be passed off as fae."

Tamsin remembered the powers Kenzi spoke of, but the girl had never before explained exactly why she needed them to begin with. Tamsin was too young at the time to understand the significance, or rather, her mind was too immature. After regaining her memories, things started to make more sense. "You did what you had to do to stay alive," she commended her. Tamsin chose to concentrate on the topic at hand, willing herself not to think about the fact that the Morrigan had put a hit out on her friend. She mentally added Evony to the list of asses to kick.

"It doesn't matter," Kenzi said. "None of it matters anymore." She took a deep breath before uttering, "I literally traded Hale's life away." A few stray tears slipped out. Kenzi was a little surprised she still had any left after all of the crying she had done in the past few hours.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I couldn't pay Massimo, so I gave him," she cast her eyes down, ashamed of her actions, "I gave him the twig of Zamora," she finished quickly. Tamsin's jaw dropped, recognizing the name instantly and what it could do. "Hale entrusted it to me, gave it to me to save my life when the Morrigan captured me and tried to torture me for information on Bo before attempting to kill me," she confessed, making Tamsin's rage towards her dark boss rise even more, now knowing exactly what the woman  
>had done and what her intentions were. Her blood boiled at the fact that she could have lost Kenzi, before she ever even really got to know her. She would never be able to thank Hale for what he did for Kenzi, and inadvertently for herself. "I wish Hale had never given it to me," Kenzi bawled, losing control over her emotions again. "Then I would have died instead of him."<p>

Tamsin shook her lightly, not at all liking the words coming out of the petite human's mouth. "No, don't ever say that. Hale wouldn't want you to think like that." The situation was worse than she thought. She had hoped Bo was exaggerating when she had mentioned the fact that she wasn't sure if Kenzi would even put up a fight in her current condition. Through her abilities, Tamsin could read the young woman as well as the succubus could read auras, and it was clear to her that at this moment, Kenzi would welcome death. Nothing about this was right; Kenzi was strong, a fighter, and yet here she was giving up. Tamsin's hand clawed at her chest, in the spot where her heart lied. She couldn't understand the physical pain she felt there as she watched Kenzi cry over the loss of her would-be fiancé. It was a new experience, and she didn't like it at all.

Kenzi ground her teeth, "he's not here anymore! Why should I care?!" She gasped for air between sobs.

"It matters because it is what Hale would have wanted, and you need to honour his memory by respecting his wishes," she said forcefully, hoping her words would get through to Kenzi.

Kenzi didn't protest, knowing she couldn't argue against that logic nor could she be angry at Hale for protecting her. She hugged herself, her body shaking from exertion. Tamsin engulfed Kenzi in her arms once more, just holding her. She could feel the woman's tears soaking through her shirt, but none of that mattered. For once in her life, she wished she had a different power, some kind of ability that could help Kenzi. There was nothing her power of doubt could do that would be beneficial. Even if she tried to make Kenzi doubt the role she played in Hale's death, it would only do more harm than good. Bo was much better equipped to handle the distraught girl: she's known her longer, knows more about her, she's good at the whole comforting thing, and her power could actually help. But Tamsin couldn't afford to think like that, because right now, she was all Kenzi had, and she was going to do everything possible to make sure she was there for Kenzi in any way she needed.

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><p>Bo looked around the abandoned graveyard that stood amongst the trees, hidden from sight. She was half expecting a flock of crows to start pecking at her, before shifting into their human-like forms. "Here goes nothing," she said, jumping onto one of the graves, slipping straight through the ground. She landed on her feet, only to lose her balance and tip over backwards. "Well I imagined that a bit more graceful in my head," she muttered, standing up to wipe the dirt off of her pants.<p>

"Welcome back princess," a figure in the shadows greeted her. The Leviathan stepped out of the darkness, a grin plastered on her face. "I told you I would be seeing you again soon," she gloated.

"You did this!" Bo yelled at her, her rage fueling her as she lunged for the woman. The keeper disappeared, reappearing a few feet over to the left. Bo stumbled, steadying herself so she wouldn't fall again.

The Leviathan shook her head at the succubus's naivety. "I did not cause the siren's death, I only predicted it. I am the protector of Irkalla, the keeper of souls. I do not cause death, I merely take those who have already passed on. I am neither light nor dark, I am neither good nor bad."

Bo rolled her eyes impatiently, "enough with the riddles Levi. I'm here for Hale."

Levi turned her back on her visitor. She held out her staff as the tip of it began to glow. She swirled it around a few times before looking over her shoulder at the other woman. "You mean this?" A person began to materialize out of thin air, hovering slightly above the ground. His body was translucent, giving him a ghostly appearance.

"Hale," Bo choked out, stepping towards him. He was nonresponsive, floating in mid-air with his eyes closed.

"Ah-ah!" the Leviathan waved a finger at Bo, halting the fae in her tracks. "Not so fast. Why would I just give up a perfectly good soul to you?"

"Fine, another game of riddles then! You like those," Bo replied fast, eager to get herself and Hale back to Kenzi.

"No," she said vehemently. "No more riddles."

"Still bitter from losing last time? Isn't that why you took Hale's soul, for revenge because you're a sore loser?" Bo sassed her, growing irritated with the older fae.

"Do you ever listen to anything other than the sound of your own voice?" the Leviathan scoffed. "I already told you, I did not do that. If you're going to insult me in my own home, then you can just leave now without your friend here." She moved to send Hale's soul back to the recesses of Irkalla, but before she could, Bo called out, stopping her.

"Wait!" Bo yelled desperately. The succubus tapered her attitude down, reminding herself who she was doing this for and why. This wasn't about her right now, it was about Kenzi and Hale. She knew she didn't have the upper hand and she needed to act accordingly or else she would lose her only chance at saving Hale's soul. "What do you want?" she asked.

The keeper paced for a moment, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmmm, I propose a trade! Yes, a trade," she smiled, pleased with her new idea.

"A trade?" Bo asked skeptically. "The last fae who liked trades was too conniving for her own good, and met her match at the wrong end of my best friend's chainsaw," she warned.

"Oh I have heard plenty of tales of the Norn, and even of the human who bested her. I also heard what happened to said human in return. I was waiting for your _friend_," she emphasized the word with disgust, obviously being one of those fae who didn't value human lives, "to be sent to me." She sighed longingly, "just twelve more hours and she would have been mine."

Bo tensed, her mouth opening slightly, not fully realizing just how close she had come to losing Kenzi in that cave. If it wasn't for Tamsin releasing her from the Dal's keg room, Kenzi would have died before she could ever get to her. "I'm sorry to have rained on your parade again, but you can't have her," she said authoritatively. She didn't like Levi talking about Kenzi, so she redirected her focus. "Now what about this trade?"

The devilish grin was back in full swing, along with a joyous laugh from the ruler of Irkalla. "I'll send the siren's soul back to his body, in exchange for yours."

Bo faltered, eyes growing wide. In order to get Hale back, she had to sacrifice herself? "No, there has to be another way," she exclaimed in disbelief.

"There is no other choice princess. You for him or him for you!" she replied in a sing-song voice, her love of riddles seeping into her sentences.

Her mind ran wild, trying to think of an alternative solution. She looked up into Hale's face, his expression peaceful yet his see-through appearance was a constant reminder of his demise. This was the man Kenzi loved, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, the one who made her happier than she ever thought was possible. He was the one who could give her the life she deserved. Kenzi would be livid with Bo if she did this, and she knew how devastated Kenzi would be without her. But with Hale by her side, she would get through this. Hale could give her everything she couldn't. He could provide for her and she knew Hale would take care good care of his lil momma. She hated to hurt Kenzi again by forcing her to lose another person she loved, but she would be getting the love of her life back.

There was so much Bo still wanted to live for, so much good she could do, and so many people who needed her. Kenzi's words rung in her ears from earlier, _"you're so god damn selfish! You always say you want to help people but all you ever do is help yourself!"_ She knew Kenzi said those words out of grief, in an attempt to force Bo's hand to use Kenzi's chi to revive Hale, but Bo couldn't help but think that lately she was right. Bo had been neglecting her friends and family in her mad search for her memories, for answers, and for the Wanderer, for Rainer. She was rarely there for Kenzi, even going as far as to get mad at Kenzi for kissing Dyson in a reality where neither of her friends could even remember her. Bo wasn't there for her when the Una Mens were knocking on doors, searching for her to torture and kill, she wasn't there for her when she was apparently almost a double amputee while she was tied down and held under the knife by mermaid siblings because Bo was too busy with Rainer, and she wasn't there for her to save her from Massimo's abuse and to save Hale from the druid's fatal blow. Now was her chance to make up for all of that, to right the wrongs she had committed against the woman she thought of as her sister.

"I don't have all day princess. Going once, going twice," Levi counted off, having learned about the succubus' stalling tactics during their last meeting.

"Wait!" Bo shouted. "I'll do it," she resigned herself to her fate, her tone one of defeat.

"Good call," the Leviathan approved of the succubus' decision. "Your human will be much happier this way."

Bo tried not to let the other fae see how deeply her words affected her. "You promised me his soul, what about his body? It disappeared from my home."

"Ah yes yes," Levi swished her hand at, as if the matter was no big deal. "Once I removed his soul from his body, I sent it back to his family."

"You what?!" Bo raised her voice in objection. "Not only did you takr his soul but you sent his body to the one place Kenzi would never be able to see him again?!" Bo fumed. Sturgis hated humans, as did the rest of Hale's stuck up family. If they discovered that Hale died protecting Kenzi, a human that Hale fell in love with, they would blame her for everything. She didn't even want to think of the lengths they would go to make Kenzi's life miserable. They would keep his body from her, probably bar her from going to the funeral, refusing to give her any affiliation with Hale. God forbid anyone knew that a member of clan Zamora proposed to a lowly human. She would be denied any sense of closure. "You can't do that."

The Leviathan poked Bo with her staff. "I can and I did. You just never seem to learn do you?" She tapped the large stick twice on the ground, Hale's eyes shooting open. "Since you are so belligerent about where his body is, I will bring it back here." She threw her staff up into the air, a portal opening around it.

Hale looked around, landing on the only familiar face in the room. "Bo?" he asked, confused by the whole situation. Bo's eyes looked directly into his; he saw a sadness there he had never witnessed in her before. Bo didn't get a chance to respond as Hale's dead body appeared in front of the staff. The Leviathan's possession flew back into her hand, the portal closing. "What the hell?!" Hale questioned, shocked at the literal out of body experience he was having. The keeper ignored him, swinging her staff in a circular motion towards the corporeal version of Hale. As she did so, Hale's soul began to swirl in on itself, following the same path as the rod. She began going faster and faster until she pointed the staff in the direction Hale's body, his soul torpedoing into it.

Bo covered her eyes, shielding them from the bright flash the collision caused. When she brought her arm down, she could see Hale standing there, looking at his hands as if to check that they were real. Bo ran over to him, tears in her eyes as she hugged him tightly. He returned it with the same amount of ferocity. "It's so good to see you," she couldn't contain the happy laugh that escaped her. She drew back, "do you remember what happened?"

His face scrunched up, deep in thought. "The last thing I remember is…" his body suddenly became rigid, his last memory was staring into Kenzi's devastated face, whispering 'I love you' to her before he succumbed to the darkness. "Kenzi!" he yelled, remembering who had killed him and who he had unwillingly left her alone with. The siren gripped Bo's arm, "is she okay?!"

Bo could see the desperation in his features. "Yes, she's fine." She could see the relief her simple sentence had brought him. She amended her statement, "well physically she's fine, but emotionally, she's a mess Hale."

"Over me?" he asked sadly. The succubus nodded in confirmation.

"Well I hate the break up the happy reunion, but it's time princess. I held up my end of the bargain," the Leviathan's words brought them back to reality.

Hale's eyebrows furrowed, looking between the two women. "Bo, what is she talking about?" he asked worriedly. Instead of receiving an answer, she looked away from him towards the floor. "What did you do?!" he demanded, knowing the lengths she would go to protect her friends and family.

"You're free Hale," she told him softly. "You're going back to the real world, back to Kenzi." She attempted a smile for him, to let him know everything would be okay, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Despite what she had told him, he couldn't feel happy when he knew she had done something extreme to save him. "At what cost?"

"Me for you," she whispered, her eyes glistening.

"Bo, no!" he demanded. "Don't do this, just let it be. I'll be alright," he tried to talk her out of it.

"It's already done, there's no going back now."

"No! It's never too late," he yelled at her, aggravated at her acceptance of what is to come. "You can't do this to Kenzi!"

"Don't you see?" she finally raised her voice back at him. "I'm not doing this _to _her I'm doing this _for_ her!" She lowered her tone back to normal. "She needs you Hale. You haven't seen her these past few hours. She's distraught, sobbing on the floor over your death. She doesn't even want to live anymore," she choked out the last sentence, still not wanting to believe what Kenzi had told her.

Hale's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. He knew Kenzi loved him, but not to this extent. His heart ached for his girlfriend, his soon-to-be fiancé. "She's going to be the same way over losing you," he responded softly. His eyes glossed over.

She put a hand on his shoulder, "and she'll have you to help her through it. She'll get over me eventually, but I don't think she would ever get over your death." Twin tears slide down either side of her face.

"And I think you underestimate how much you mean to her Bo," Hale spoke honestly. "She needs us both."

Bo smiled sadly, "but that's not an option. You can give her everything I can't: stability, protection, committment, a family," she couldn't contain a small snort on the last part, "a home with walls."

He shook his head, "what am I supposed to tell Kenzi when she asks where you are? When she wonders why you did it?"

"I just want her to be happy," Bo admitted. "If she asks, tell her….tell her I choose her, I will always choose her," she echoed her exact same words from before. "She'll understand." She sniffled.

"Time's up!" the Leviathan said, raising her staff once more.

Bo lunged into Hale's arms before he disappeared from Irkalla for good. "Tell her I love her, with all of my heart," she breathed in his ear. "And take care of her for me, please," she begged, silent tears streaming down her face.

"I will, I promise," he said earnestly as he hugged her back, right before he was returned to the world of the living and Bo was left standing there, her arms holding nothing but air.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: **(SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 FINALE CONTAINED IN AUTHOR'S NOTE, SKIP DIRECTLY TO THE STORY IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINALE YET)**

After watching the season finale, I honestly had a hard time switching from Bo losing Kenzi in that episode, to this story where Kenzi loses Bo. It was also difficult to write Kenzi as still being alive after seeing the finale, but I eventually got back into the swing of things. I had written the first half of this chapter before the finale aired, and I thought I was being all creative by adding Valhalla into it, but alas, the writers of the show beat me to it haha. Oh well, I still left it in here and it's only a side thought anyways. I also couldn't find a good spot to stop this chapter, so this chapter is twice as long as my other ones. I figured you all wouldn't mind though ;) Enjoy and please review! They make me smile...a lot.

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Tamsin sat with Kenzi's head leaning against her chest, her fingers running over black hair. The girl was curled up in the blonde's lap, seeking comfort and a sense of security that seemed unattainable. Her sobbing had quieted to random hiccups, her body craving oxygen after the intense emotional release. Kenzi's hand lightly trailed over the blood stain on the floorboards where Hale last was.

Upon seeing the blood but no body, Tamsin's curiosity won out. "Kenz?" she asked gently.

"Hmmm?" Kenzi responded, drifting in and out of her thoughts as her fingertips traced patterns along the red splotch.

"Where," she began, realizing she didn't know how to word the question in a delicate manner. Anything she said at this point could set the fragile human off again. "Um…"

Kenzi put together the missing pieces, "where is he?" she guessed. "I don't know," she said almost inaudibly, the mere fact that she had no idea where Hale was now was eating away at her. She didn't even get to say goodbye. "He disappeared, floating orbs…gone…" she seemed to lose herself in her own thoughts again.

Tamsin pursed her lips, not liking the answer she had received. If Hale disappeared like that, then that could only mean one thing: the Leviathan had him. Her anger began to rise up again like an old friend, always there to keep her going. It was something she had always relied on. Hale never should have been taken by the ruler of Irkalla, he didn't belong there. If anything, he deserved a warrior's afterlife. Tamsin cursed herself for being too late, for not being home when Kenzi needed her. She could have taken Hale's soul to Valhalla to let him rest in peace. He had fought for many years for what was right, tried to make the world a better place for humans and fae alike, stood up against the Garuda, and died protecting the woman he loved. There were few people more deserving of the title of warrior. The souls allowed entrance to Valhalla were rewarded for their bravery, their loyalty, their dedication, and they were held in the highest respect. He would have been treated like royalty. Tamsin would have been able to visit him at any time. She was sure she would have been the two lovebirds' messenger pigeon, delivering notes and reciting spoken words. And of course when Kenzi passed on, Tamsin would have taken her there too, reuniting them. Kenzi was a warrior herself, whether she knew it or not. She had suffered so much in her short life, never giving up or running from a fight. A human living in the fae world who didn't take shit from anyone. The valkyrie couldn't help but smile at that particular thought, beaming with pride.

Kenzi titled her head up to look at Tamsin's face, studying her response to what Kenzi had told her. "Do you know where he is?" she asked bluntly.

"I-" before Tamsin could say anything else, both of the women heard footsteps approaching them. Tamsin's caring demeanor instantly grew cold. She moved into a protective crouch in front of Kenzi, one hand holding onto the girl behind her tightly. Those footfalls were too heavy to be Bo's.

A man walked into the room, making its occupants falter as Kenzi whispered disbelieving, "Hale…?" She stood up, trying to go to him, but the Valkyrie held the girl firmly in place.

"Hale's dead," Tamsin declared. "So who the hell are you?"

Hale held his hands up in a declaration of peace. "Tamsin, it's me. I know it's a little hard to believe right now, I'm still getting to used it, but I'm really back." He was still wearing the same clothes he died in, blood stain and all.

Tamsin wished she had a way of figuring out if he was telling the truth or not, like Dyson's keen sense of smell. Until she knew for sure, there was no way in hell she was letting Kenzi go near this could-be imposter.

Kenzi peeked around from behind Tamsin's back, unable to keep from staring at the man who looked exactly like her fiancé. Her eyes roamed his figure, examining every detail from his brown orbs, his short hair, to the painful sight where he was impaled by her sword. "What…" she was seemingly finding her voice again, "what is my favourite movie… and how many times did I make you watch it?"

Hale knew she was quizzing him to find out if he was really who he said he was said. As much as he wanted to sweep her up into his arms and assure her everything would be alright, he would do whatever she needed at this moment in time. "The Mighty Ducks, fourteen times and counting," he smiled.

"Lucky guess," she muttered, gaining more confidence. She stood next to the Valkyrie now instead of hiding behind her. "Who was the last guy I dated before you?"

Hale's face fell, thinking about a time before the woman in front of him was his. "Nate. He used to live near you when you were young. You found him when you needed to hire a drummer for Bo's surprise birthday party."

She took another brave step towards him, wanting to believe this was her Hale with everything she had. She needed it to be him. But how could it be? And why? Did this have anything to do with him disappearing earlier? "How did we first meet?"

Hale shuffled his foot, his cheeks tinting pink out of embarrassment. "I um, I knocked you to the ground with my power while Dyson grabbed Bo."

"You what?!" Tamsin exclaimed from the background, never having heard this story before. She scrunched up her nose, seeing them both staring at her due to her outburst. "Sorry, continue."

Kenzi's focus returned to Hale. "What happened when we went to fight the Garuda?"

"I almost lost you," Hale whispered, that being the first thing to pop into his head from that horrific night. "A berserker stabbed you, you were dying and there was nothing Lauren could do." His eyes became glossy just thinking about it. "I was able to stitch you back up with a high frequency siren whistle."

Tamsin covered her mouth with her hand to stop her from shouting out again. Kenzi had almost died?! Why didn't anyone tell her these things?!

The corner of Kenzi's mouth twitched upward, "you saved my life." She shook off the dreamy feeling, knowing she had to continue with her questioning. "What did you ask me earlier today?"

The smile returned to his face, "lil momma, will you marry me?"

A large grin broke out across Kenzi's face, "yes." She gave him the answer he had been waiting for. She ran towards him, launching herself into Hale's arms. She buried her head in his chest, bawling her eyes out. "It's really you," she cried between gasps of air. "It's you." Her tiny fists griped his shirt tight, afraid that if she let go he would disappear again.

Hale wrapped his arms around her, never wanting to let go. "Yes, it's me," he said softly. "Shhhh, I've got you. You're okay. I'm okay," he reassured her. He rested his chin on top of her head, one hand rubbing her back as he felt her body trembling against him. "I'm right here baby."

"I'm sorry," she cried into him. "I just had to be sure."

"It's okay. I would be worried if you didn't check," He stared down at the beauty in his arms. "So did I pass the test?" he chuckled.

Kenzi felt the rumble of his laughter. The sound eased her pain, reassuring her that her lover was indeed alive. "With flying colors." She looked up, using one hand to pull his head down to meet hers. Their lips touched, tongues caressing each other in a fit of raw emotion. Kenzi put everything she had into the kiss, willing Hale to feel how much she loved and needed him. The couple lost themselves in the moment, just happy to be reunited with each other. When Kenzi finally needed to come up for air, she looped her arms around Hale's neck, resting her head in the crook between his neck and his shoulder. She panted from the lack of air she had received due to the overwhelming feelings wracking her body and the passionate kiss. "I never thought I'd get to do that again." She snuggled into his warmth.

"Me either," Hale responded honestly. He gently pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, staring into her stunning ice blue eyes. Even with tears stains streaking down her face and her disheveled appearance, she still looked absolutely gorgeous. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she confessed without missing a beat. She hadn't had the chance to say it back to him when he was dying; she wasn't going to let any opportunity to say it pass her by now. She never knew when it might be her last chance. She laid her ear against him again, content to just listen to his heartbeat, to hear life flowing through his veins. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, signaling that he was indeed breathing. All of these were signs that he was really back, he had actually come back to her. Her hand reached up to where his wound should be, gently trailing over it. He hissed through gritted teeth and she immediately retracted her hand. "It still hurts?" she asked surprised.

He took the hand she had withdrawn in his own, lacing their fingers together. "It's all stitched up. It'll heal in time. There's nothing to worry about my princess," he kissed her once more on the lips. He used his other hand to cup her face. Kenzi sighed deeply, leaning into his touch. His thumb swept over her cheek, brushing away any tears that fell.

Tamsin walked up the pair. "Well shit," she said, holding Kenzi's hand up in the air to inspect her engagement ring. "No one tells me anything do they?" she smirked.

Kenzi laughed through her tears, a sound the blonde was unsure if she'd ever hear again. The joyous sound brought a genuine smile to the valkyrie's face. "Congrats moms," she gave the girl a side hug, Kenzi still not wanting to fully leave Hale's embrace. Tamsin turned towards the newly revived man, patting him on the back. "Good to have you back siren."

"Good to be back," he answered, glad to have the dark fae's approval. He knew how much she meant to Kenzi.

"Oh crap!" Kenzi jumped, as she suddenly remembered something. "I've got to tell Bo you're back!" She looked around, trying to remember where she had left her cell phone. She and Bo hadn't left things off on a good note, and now that everything was okay again, she needed to fix that. She attempted to wiggle out of Hale's arms, but he held tight.

"Kenzi wait," he said, his voice growing solemn.

His tone immediately halted Kenzi's movements. "Why?" Hale's head dropped, not wanting to see the pain his words were about to cause. Kenzi knew something was wrong. "Hale, where's Bo?" she asked, barely controlling her unstable emotions.

"I tried to stop her," he said.

Kenzi pulled away from him, a look of betrayal flashing across her face. "Where is she?!" she demanded.

Hale sighed, knowing he had no choice but to tell her. She deserved to know the truth and he refused to hide anything from her. "Bo came to get me. She struck a bargain with the Leviathan, her life for mine."

His short explanation knocked the wind out of Kenzi. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Tears began anew, glistening down her face. She couldn't stop them, and at this point, she honestly didn't give a shit. "No. I don't believe you. She wouldn't do that, she can't!" she yelled, her hands forming fists.

"Kenzi, I wish it weren't true, but it is," he admitted. "I told her not to, but she wouldn't listen to me."

Kenzi whirled around on Tamsin, sticking out her hand. "Give me your phone."

"Kenzi," Tamsin hesitated. She herself wanted to know if what Hale said was actually true, but Kenzi finding out this way would damage her fragile psyche even more.

When Tamsin didn't respond right away, she shook her hand for emphasis. "Give me your god damn phone now!"

Tamsin reluctantly reached into her pocket, pulling her phone free of its confines. "This isn't-"

Tamsin was cut off when Kenzi snatched the phone from her. She quickly dialed Bo's number, her heart sinking when it went straight to voicemail. She growled, "stupid phones." She hung up before she tried again. When the voicemail picked up once more, she left a message, her voice shaking. "Bo-Bo, hey, it's me. I'm borrowing Tamsin's phone. You'll never guess what happened, so call me back 'kay?" She pursed her lips in an effort to maintain her composure. "I love you," she whispered, her voice heavy with sadness. She threw the phone back at the Valkyrie, "that proves nothing!" She paced the floor, trying to gather herself.

The blonde turned on Hale, unable to contain herself any longer between reeling from the loss of Bo and seeing Kenzi suffer. She refrained from jabbing a finger in his chest only because of his injury. "You let Bo make this trade?! What the fuck were you thinking? That's one selfish thing to-"

"I had no say so in the matter!" Hale told her adamantly, wanting to put a stop to Tamsin's accusations. Her words would only fire up Kenzi even more. He didn't need Tamsin making Kenzi worse. "I told her to undo it, but she was determined to do this for Kenzi. The Leviathan sent me back up to the real world before I could do anything. One minute I was hugging Bo, the next I woke up in a graveyard in the middle of nowhere."

Kenzi listened intently. She panted heavily in anger. How could Bo do this to her? "No, I can't get you back just to lose her. I won't!" she yelled. She raided the weapons supply on the table near the kitchen, picking out any item she thought would be useful to aide her in Bo's safe return. She couldn't just sit here and dwell on the facts, she needed to take action. "She got you back, I'll get her back," she said with determination.

"No, not like that you won't," Hale stopped Kenzi's train of thought. Any ideas she could think of right now would be highly dangerous and suicidal. He loved her too much to let her go off on some half-assed plan driven purely on her emotions. She couldn't think straight like this.

She continued sifting through the weapons, getting ready to fight whoever need be in order to get her best friend back. She didn't even realize that she was still only half dressed. "Too many people have died because of me, I won't let her be added to that list!"

Hale knew one of those people she was referring to was himself. He gently put a hand over hers to get her to stop. She froze, staring into deep brown eyes that shone with love and sorrow. It made her defensive anger crumble. "The last thing I said to her was 'get out,'" Kenzi whispered, her face contorting as her grief quickly took over. Her chin quivered. "I yelled at her, accused her of awful things." Tears slid down her face. "Those can't be the last things I say to her, they can't." Her knees buckled, the adrenaline that kept her going was fading fast.

Hale held her to him, supporting her weight. "I'm so sorry Kenzi," he told her, cradling her head against his chest. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. It hurt him to see Kenzi this upset, especially to know that he was partially to blame for her suffering: first over his death and now over Bo who traded her life to save his. "You know she would die for you." He learned that the first time he got to know them, and it was obvious to everyone else in their family as well. That simple fact had reassured him all those times Kenzi would insist on going with Bo into dangerous situations. With Bo there, he knew Kenzi was safe.

"She didn't die for me, she died for you," Kenzi said, unable to keep the resentment out of her voice although it was unknown as to whom it was intended for.

"She gave herself for your happiness," Hale tried to get Kenzi to see that this actually was for her, that Bo didn't just throw her life away for nothing.

"How the hell can I be happy when she willingly gave her soul to the devil?! Who will do only God knows what to her!" Kenzi yelled at him, using up what little strength she had left. The anger wasn't directed at him, but he was still the one who received it, and Hale didn't blame her one bit. Bo was gone because of him, plain and simple. But things were never that simple. Kenzi knew Bo sacrificed herself for her. Did it have anything to do with what Kenzi had said to Bo the last time she had seen her? What would she tell Dyson and Lauren? And oh god, Trick. He had just lost the last living member of his family and he doesn't even know it yet. How could she face everyone when they found out Bo was dead because of her? What would they think of her? She couldn't do this. The one person who could help her through it all is dead. "Damn it Bo! Damn you!" she screamed, doubling over in a mixture of anguish and despair. She choked on her own tears. Her rollercoaster of emotions seemed to be never ending. Going from devastated to excited and relieved back to devastated was too much for her fragile heart to handle.

Hale just held her, preventing her body from crashing to the floor. He didn't know what else he could do. He looked over to Tamsin, who seemed to be at a loss as well. He whispered soothing words in Kenzi's ear, but he wasn't sure if she even heard him in her state.

Tamsin watched the scene unfold, fighting off her own demons that threatened to overwhelm her. When Hale had died, she was sad he was gone but her main focus had been Kenzi. She hadn't known the siren very well, not like everyone else did. But now the tables had completely turned, it was Bo who was dead, one of the few people whom she loved and who loved her in return. The one fae who had showed her that she could be more than she was, who believed in her. She held back her own grief, knowing it wouldn't do Kenzi any good if she broke down here and now. She put on a mask devoid of emotion, one she had perfected in her previous lifetimes. She would mourn later, privately.

"Why?!" Kenzi sobbed, gasping for air. "I'm sorry for what I said, I'm so sorry Bo. Don't leave me," she pleaded with thin air, not even having a body to cry over this time.

"Kenzi…" he began, not knowing if this would help or make things worse, "Bo wanted me to tell you that she loves you with all of her heart. She said she chooses you, and that she will always choose you."

The words hit Kenzi hard, words she heard only a few hours earlier spoken straight from her sister's mouth. "Oh god," she choked. She pried herself out of Hale's arm, stumbling up the stairs.

"Kenzi!" he called out, not understanding why she had just bolted. Before he could he could do anything else, the two fae heard retching coming from the upstairs bathroom.

Tamsin and Hale both exchanged a knowing look. "I've got her," she told him. "Why don't you go get changed into something that doesn't remind Kenzi of losing you," she said referring to his bloody clothes, "and find something for Kenzi to wear too."

Hale nodded, wanting to be the one to comfort Kenzi but also knowing that Tamsin had a good point. He made his way up to the top floor, while Tamsin followed close behind, stopping at the second floor.

Tamsin stood just outside the bathroom, sighing before she steeled herself once more. Kenzi was hunched over the toilet, throwing up bile. The Valkyrie kneeled down next to her, pulling her hair back out of her face. Kenzi sat back, trying to catch her breath. Her body was shaking hard from the exertion. Tamsin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing the younger woman's arm up and down. Kenzi pitched forward again, liquid splashing into the toilet. Tamsin pulled a piece of toilet paper off of the roll, using it to wipe Kenzi's mouth when she was done. She threw it in the garbage, reaching for a clean piece to repeat the process.

Kenzi leaned into her, unable to keep herself upright. "How could she leave us Tamsin…" she said hoarsely, her throat sore from vomiting and crying.

Tamsin cradled the human, switching roles with Kenzi and becoming the mother in this situation. "Because she loves you, she loves you so much that you mean more to her than her own life." The blonde had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay.

"But I love her too," Kenzi protested. If you love someone, shouldn't you stay with them? A thought suddenly occurred to her. She looked into green eyes, her own blue orbs suddenly stricken with fear, "you won't leave me, right?"

Tamsin shook her head, "no, I won't leave you, I promise." She felt Kenzi's body relax, the girl's head lying against her chest. Tamsin closed her eyes tightly. Kenzi's voice sounding so broken and scared, like a child, chipped away at the defenses Tamsin had put up. Despite her best efforts, the tears slipped out.

Kenzi raised her head to look at the Valkyrie, having felt an involuntary sharp intake of air, and knowing what that meant. Tamsin tried to turn her head away in an attempt to hide the evidence on her face. Kenzi frowned, raising an unsteady hand to the blonde's cheek, gently turning her head back so that their eyes met. "Oh T…" the younger woman said sadly. She brushed a stray tear away with her fingers. "You don't have to be strong for me. I know you're hurting too."

"You're always there for me Kenz, it's time for me to be there for you," she smiled slightly, trying to convince Kenzi that she was okay.

"And I also raised you, so I know you, and I know when you're trying to make yourself seem better than you are. You can be there for me, but let me be here for you too," she reasoned.

Tamsin nodded, hugging Kenzi to herself, grateful for the small bit comfort. She didn't deserve to have someone like Kenzi in her life, someone who was so selfless and caring, someone who was the complete opposite of Tamsin in her past lives.

"Let it out," Kenzi whispered, "holding it in will just make it worse. I'm the only other person in here, it's okay." Her words broke the flood gates that held back Tamsin's tears. The fae lost her composure, an ugly sob escaping. She held Kenzi tighter, being careful not to hurt her. The human relaxed into her touch, glad that they at least had each other. They stayed like that for a while in a comfortable silence, broken periodically by sniffling. The two women were just thankful for the other's presence and support. They would get through this together. At least Kenzi knew that Tamsin didn't blame her for Bo's death. She wasn't so sure what the others would think. After they found out, Hale and Tamsin may be the only family she has left.

Kenzi felt Tamsin shift underneath her. The Valkyrie carefully lifted her, putting the lid down on the toilet before setting Kenzi on top of it. "We need to get you cleaned up, okay?" Tamsin explained, keeping herself busy in order to collect herself before Hale came back down.

"Kay," Kenzi answered softly.

Tamsin walked over to the footlocker, grabbing a clean washcloth from inside. She ran it under warm water, wringing it out a few times as Kenzi watched her every move. She gave Kenzi a small smile. The blonde began wiping the cloth along Kenzi's face, removing her makeup and spots of dried blood.

The younger woman closed her eyes, letting herself be taken care of for once. The warmth radiating from the washcloth felt good. For a moment, she thought it was Bo helping her, taking tender care of her, loving her. But when she opened her eyes and saw the Valkyrie, her blue orbs glossed over once more. She gritted her teeth, trying to focus on the present so her mind wouldn't play tricks like that on her again.

Tamsin saw the slight change in Kenzi's demeanor but pretended not to notice. It wouldn't do either of them any good to point it out. She hated to see Kenzi this vulnerable, so unlike the girl she had come to know and love. She continued on down, washing Kenzi's hands, the parts of her arms where the sleeves had somehow been pushed up during all of the chaos, and then her legs. She rinsed the cloth multiple tmes, but the blood had stained it permanently.

Hale descended the stairs just as Tamsin was finishing up. Clean clothes were draped over one arm. Kenzi looked up at him, acknowledging his presence. "We need to get you to bed."

Kenzi shook her head, "I don't want to sleep." She was afraid of what she would see when she closed her eyes, of the nightmares she would have, of waking up without Bo.

Hale rephrased his words, "you don't have to sleep, but you do need to rest. You're exhausted. You can't keep pushing yourself like this."

Kenzi attempted to stand up in order to prove the siren wrong, but all she did is make his point clear when she almost face planted on the floor. Hale caught her, hoisting her up into his arms bridal style. She drew in a shuddered breath, leaning her head against him. "I'm scared," her voice trembled as she confided in her fiancé.

"I know baby, but I'll be right here with you okay?" He kissed her forehead.

Kenzi stared longingly at Bo's room from their position in the bathroom. Her bed was still made, waiting for the succubus to come back home and curl up amongst the sheets. A glass of water sat on the nightstand, almost empty.

Tamsin's eyes shifted between Kenzi and her line of sight. "Why don't you two take Bo's room tonight?" she suggested.

"Tamsin…" Kenzi began.

Tamsin continued, not wanting to give Kenzi time to come up with excuses. She knew Kenzi needed to stay in Bo's room for her own sanity, to be surrounded by her best friend even when she wasn't there. "Her bed is bigger than yours Kenzi so you two can rest without almost falling off of it, and this way you guys can have some privacy."

"Are you sure?" Kenzi asked one more time.

"I'm sure." Tamsin smoothed a hand over disheveled black hair. "I'll just be upstairs if you need me." The Valkyrie surprised everyone in the room by kissing Kenzi on the cheek before she left. She never showed such signs of affection, especially not in front of people, but this wasn't about her, it was about Kenzi, and if that small gesture would make the human feel even the tiniest bit better, she would do it. After losing the person she considered to be her sister, Kenzi needed to be reassured that there are still people here who love her.

Hale carried Kenzi over to the bed, setting her down next to the headboard for her to lean on. "Do you mind?" he asked, holding up her fresh pajamas to ask for permission to dress her.

Despite herself, Kenzi smirked, "you've seen me naked plenty of times."

That small smirk made Hale's heart soar. He pulled her panties down, replacing them with a clean pair. He lifted each leg gently, sliding on a pair of sweatpants. She shimmied on the bed in order to get them all the way up to her hips. He pulled her sweater up as she raised her arms to help him. He tossed it aside, retrieving the clean shirt he had picked out. He looked back to his lover, gasping at the dark bruises forming all over her torso. "Kenzi…" he whispered.

Kenzi tried her best to cover them up with her arms. When that failed, she grabbed the shirt out of Hale's hands, quickly putting it on so he couldn't see the bruises anymore. There was nothing either of them could do about it and seeing them would only upset Hale further.

"I'm going to kill that little shit," Hale vowed, trying to control his rage at seeing the damage the druid had caused kenzi not only mentally, but physically as well.

Kenzi huffed, pulling one of Bo's blankets up to her chest, "yeah, get in line."

Hale's anger diminished; Kenzi had more reasons to want the druid dead than he did. All the same, Massimo would get what's coming to him. He would deal with that wanna-be fae later, right now his focus was on his fiancé. "Does it hurt?"

She looked away, "not as much as other things do right now."

He nodded, knowing that was the best answer he was going to get out of her. He walked around to the other side of the bed, sliding beneath the covers. She joined him, cuddling into him as his arms enveloped her. "I've got you lil momma," he spoke softly.

Kenzi relaxed in the safety of her lover's arms. She titled her head into the pillow, inhaling Bo's scent. The smells that were distinctly Hale and Bo mixed together with every breath she took, comforting her, eventually lulling her into an uneasy slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: You guys are awesome! Your reviews always make me smile. One person even said they wish I wrote for the show which put a huge grin on my face. Thank you to each one of you for sticking with me through my stories. I'm currently in the process of moving, so unfortunately it's really hard to find time to write between work, packing, and apartment hunting. I'm trying my best, but I can't guarantee when I will be able to update. This move was unplanned and not "by choice" so it's been a struggle. I always find solace in writing and reading your kinds words, so don't worry, I will keep writing. This story is only a few more chapters long so I'm hoping to be able to finish typing it up within the next 4-8 weeks. Anyways, just wanted to give you guys a heads up so if I'm not updating as often, you all aren't left wondering why. Now onto the next chapter!

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><p>CHAPTER 4<p>

Kenzi laid in bed, her eyes trained on a spot on the wall opposite her. She had fallen asleep briefly, but the images and thoughts of both Hale's and Bo's deaths plagued her mind. She carefully shifted out from underneath her fiancé's arm, slowly sliding to the edge of the bed. Her bare feet touched the ground, rising to stand without making a sound. She turned back to Hale, making sure that he was still sound asleep. Kenzi tip toed out of Bo's bedroom, avoiding the floorboards she knew would creak when weight was applied to them.

She continued down the stairs and through the living room, venturing into the basement. The dryer door opened with a squeak. She pulled out a pair of black acid-washed skin tight jeans and a dark purple top. She stripped down to her undergarments, changing into the new outfit she had picked out. The wooden stairs seemed flimsy at best, but somehow they still served their purpose as Kenzi made her way back to the main floor. Kenzi headed straight for the computer table which contained a myriad of weapons. She selected a few, slipping them into their respective holsters and sheaths. The young Russian was about to walk away when she noticed Bo's favorite dagger sitting on the counter. She ran her fingers along the hilt before strapping it to her thigh. Having a piece of Bo with her made her feel more at ease.

Kenzi made her way outside, turning the door knob as she closed it to avoid making a clicking sound. Bo's car was still missing, but she noticed a sleek sedan parked in front of the building with the door wide open; it seemed to be calling her name. She slipped into the driver's seat, pulling the door closed. She was ready to hotwire the car when she noticed the keys still in the ignition. Kenzi thanked whatever idiot had left them there, igniting the engine before she sped off. "I'm sorry guys," she looked at the clubhouse in the rearview mirror, "but I have to do this on my own."

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><p>Tamsin sighed, having been woken up by a strange feeling, or rather a lack thereof. She couldn't figure out what was different and it was starting to drive her crazy. Groaning in annoyance, she climbed out of her small bed. Unable to shake the weird feeling, she needed to check on Kenzi to calm her paranoid mind. She turned the corner into Bo's room, seeing the outline of a figure beneath the blankets. Upon closer inspection, she noticed there was only one person in the bed: Kenzi was missing.<p>

The valkyrie gritted her teeth, shaking Hale. He jumped, shoving Tamsin's arm away roughly. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Tamsin had no time for games. "Where's Kenzi?" she asked bluntly.

That simple question jolted the siren wide awake. He looked around, startled to find the beautiful woman was no longer sleeping by his side.

From his reaction, Tamsin knew that Hale was just as clueless to Kenzi's whereabouts as she was. She ran from the room, shouting Kenzi's name as she descended the stairs. Hale was right behind her. They split up, checking all of the rooms in the house. They met back in the living room. Suddenly the odd feeling that had been plaguing Tamsin made sense; without Kenzi in the house, the emotions of guilt and sadness no longer hung in the air. It was like a weight had been lifted off of her, only to be replaced by a larger one she felt due to Kenzi's absence.

Hale threw Kenzi's pajamas she had been wearing that night onto the back of the couch. At Tamsin's questioning gaze, he explained, "I found them on the floor in the basement. She must have changed into something else."

"She's not here and she got dressed before she left, meaning she left of her own free will," Tamsin added the pieces together, not liking the scenario that was forming. "Shit."

"What are you thinking?" Hale asked. Tamsin's tone of voice had him on edge, not to mention the fact that the love of his life was nowhere to be found.

Tamsin ignored his question, instead pulling out her phone. She tried to dial Kenzi's phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She paced angrily, one hand on her hip. "Her phone is either off or the battery is dead. I'll track her by the phone's GPS." She typed in the number for the police station. There were still a few guys there who owed her some favours.

"Uh, Tamsin?" Hale called, spotting something familiar out of the corner of his eye. She glanced his way, watching him walk over to a corner of the room to pick up a few items off of the floor. "I don't think that's going to work." Hale held up Kenzi's cell phone which was in three pieces: the front, the backing, and the battery.

"Fuck," Tamsin cursed. She hit the end button on her phone harder than necessary, feeling the sudden urge to punch someone or something.

"Wait, she wouldn't have-" Hale began, jumping to the worst possible case scenario.

"Yeah she would have," Tamsin growled, grabbing her jacket as she headed towards the door. "Hale, stay here!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Hale grabbed the blonde's arm, preventing her from leaving. "No, I'm coming with you. I know firsthand what that bastard can do." He wasn't going to let his girl face down the man who had murdered him.

"You can't."

"Give me one good reason why not, and it better be a damn good one," he seethed, his hold tightening on the valkyrie's forearm.

"Kenzi lost you to him, she will literally panic if you are anywhere near him. Why do you think she left while you were sleeping? " she tried to make him see reason. "Besides, you're still healing. The last thing she needs is to watch you die again."

"I'm not just going to sit on my ass while Kenzi risks her life! She needs all of the help she can get. She's still healing too," he argued.

His words made Tamsin falter, "what?" The blonde hadn't seen any injuries on the young woman, nor had Kenzi told her about any she had sustained.

Hale sighed sadly, figuring Kenzi hadn't told the valkyrie the entire story. "Massimo came to the clubhouse looking for Kenzi, not me. Before I could get to them, he beat her up pretty badly." His eyes expressed the sorrow and guilt he felt for not being able to spare Kenzi from the druid's wrath.

Tamsin sucked in a deep breath through her nose, trying to restrain herself. Bo had mentioned the abuse Kenzi had suffered, but the human's emotional distress had caused that fact to be momentarily sidelined. She scoured her memory for any signs of wounds or bruises, coming up empty handed, but just because she hadn't seen any didn't mean they didn't exist. She chided herself, of course Kenzi would hide something like that from her. Now not only was Kenzi going to face a dangerous man alone, but she was already at a disadvantage. Tamsin literally shook with anger at the thought of Massimo even laying a single finger on Kenzi. "He will die," she promised through gritted teeth. "I'll kill him myself." She shrugged her arm out of the siren's grasp, proceeding to the exit.

"Why would you going be any different than me?" Hale growled out, frustrated at the situation and the woman standing before him.

Tamsin paused for a second to answer his question without looking back. "Because my life doesn't matter, yours does." Before Hale could respond, Tamsin was already out the door. He shouted after her, running to catch up with her.

Tamsin looked around, noticing the car she drove here was suddenly missing. "Damnit Kenz," she muttered. She could hear footsteps behind her. Not wanting to be held up any longer by a worried siren, she hunched her back, forcing her wings out from her shoulder blades. She flapped them a few times, creating dust as her feet left the ground. Gold and white orbs surrounded her in a flurry, using the darkness of the early morning as cover. She could hear yelling as she disappeared. She didn't have time to deal with him right now. Kenzi needed her and the more time she wasted with Hale, the closer Kenzi was to joining Bo in death.

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><p>Bo's eyes scrolled up the dark cave's wall, looking for any way out. She grabbed ahold of a piece of rock jutting out, hoisting herself up. She slid her foot into an indent in the surface, moving upwards. Her foot slipped, causing her to crash down onto the sandy floor. She landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her. She groaned as she rolled onto her side, coughing.<p>

The Leviathan rolled her eyes at the succubus's antics. Bo was stubborn and determined, despite there being no way out of her predicament. She couldn't take Bo's soul from her body due to the Wanderer's mark, the one she so desperately wanted. So until the keeper could figure out how to remove the mark and bestow it upon herself, she had to put up with Bo. The succubus couldn't move on from this cave to join the other souls while she still had her corporeal body. The Leviathan would just bide her time until the right moment. Once she had the Wanderer's mark, she'll rip Bo's soul from her body and send her away. She was content at the moment that at least Bo was hers, which meant that the mark also belonged to her.

Bo pushed up off of the ground, moving to rest on a boulder. She breathed deeply, trying to replenish the oxygen her body was deprived of. Her arms rested on her knees in a hunched over position.

Without warning the Leviathan began laughing, tossing her head back in glee until the sound resembled more of a cackle than a laugh.

Bo raised her head, looking over at the other woman. "What's so funny Levi?" she asked sarcastically, assuming the keeper was finding amusement in Bo's half-assed attempts to escape.

A wicked grin was plastered on the Leviathan's face. "Your friend whom you traded yourself for is on her way to join you."

"Her?" Bo questioned with a sense of dread. She had sacrificed herself to save Hale, but ultimately she did it for Kenzi. The fae suddenly had Bo's complete and undivided attention. "Where's Kenzi?" she demanded. "Is she…" Bo paused, unable to ask the question that was threatening to overwhelm her. Kenzi couldn't die, and she sure as hell couldn't end up some place like this.

"Not yet princess, but she's on her way to face the druid _alone_. I'm sure even you can understand the gravity of the situation. It's only a matter of time before your human arrives here, and then she'll be mine," Levi narrowed her eyes at Bo.

Bo's breathing sped up. Kenzi couldn't fight Massimo by herself, he'd kill her! She was no match for him. He even got the upper hand on Hale. If he could do that to a fae, what would he do to a human?

Levi's last sentence registered in the chaos that was Bo's mind. "You bastard! If you touch her-"

"You'll what? Kill me? I own you succubus, don't forget that!" She pointed her staff in Bo's direction, the end of it glowing menacingly.

Bo stood defiantly, not willing to back down when it came to Kenzi. "Do your worst to me, but leave Kenzi out of this."

Levi growled, lowering her staff as it returned to normal. "It is not my decision whether or not your friend ends up here, it is hers and hers alone. Although if she continues on this path, she has sealed her fate." The keeper walked away, leaving Bo to her thoughts.

"No," Bo whispered, looking back at the rock wall. She had to get to Kenzi, she couldn't let her die. She didn't trade herself to give Hale back to Kenzi for Kenzi to go and get herself killed. She cursed the others for letting her go off alone. What the hell were they thinking?! She rubbed her hands together, more determined than ever to scale the wall and bust out of here.

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><p>Tamsin stumbled as she reappeared in an alley. She leaned up against a brick wall, waiting until the world came back into her focus. The blonde shook her head to try to speed up the process. She pushed off of the wall, regaining her balance. Teleporting was new to her. It had been hundreds of years since she had last travelled to Valhalla using her powers. Only in a valkyire's last life was she able to use her power to move around in the same realm. It had something to do with her wings, although what Tamsin was unsure. She didn't have time to dwell on it. It was becoming apparent that she would be unable to use that power to reach Kenzi if it had this kind of effect on her. She waged an inner war with herself over it, wondering if it was better to teleport into battle and weaken herself, or travel by human means and risk being too late. She didn't even know where Massimo was; if she used her power only to find that the druid wasn't there, she would have weakened herself for no reason. Any decision she made now could either save Kenzi or kill her.<p>

Tamsin grumbled as she walked out of the alley. She quickly hotwired a car, a skill she had learned two lifetimes ago but had perfected under Kenzi's tutelage. She blew the horn at a slow driver, swerving into the emergency lane to pass him. "Damn drivers," she cursed, unaware of the irony of her statement. She began heading to Massimo's last known whereabouts, the same place he had held her captive before she had regained her memories. She had no idea if he was still there or not, but it's all she had to go on right now.

The valkyrie whipped out her cell phone, dialing a familiar number. Acacia was the one to hear that he was still alive; if anyone knew where the druid was, it would be her. "Come on, come on," she muttered as the other end continued to ring.

Finally a voice answered, "Tamsin. I know this isn't a social call," the older valkyrie stated bluntly. "What do you need?"

Acacia was never one to beat around the bush, and that suited Tamsin perfectly. It's one of the reasons they got along so well. "I need to know where Massimo is hiding."

"What?" Acacia hissed, the rumor she heard now having been confirmed. "That fucking cockroach just won't die!" She remembered Tamsin telling her about the last time she had run into the druid. "He didn't come after you did he?" she asked, becoming defensive over her protégé.

Tamsin wished Massimo had come after her. She would have ripped him a new asshole, Hale would have never died, Bo wouldn't have sacrificed herself, and Kenzi would be happy instead of going to face the man who caused it all. "He killed someone I know and hurt a close friend of mine. Now that friend is going after him alone and I'll be damned if I let him get to her again."

"Is this 'close friend' Bo?" Acacia assumed, aggravated the succubus was dragging Tamsin into danger yet again.

"No," Tamsin answered firmly.

"Then who?" Acacia demanded.

Tamsin tried to avoid the question, knowing what Acacia's response would be once she found out. "You wouldn't understand."

Acacia scoffed, "who else besides the succubitch could have such a hold over your heart?"

"It's Kenzi," Tamsin finally admitted after she realized the older valkyrie wasn't going to drop the issue.

"Kenzi," Acacia repeated, the name not sounding familiar to her. "Wait a minute, isn't that Bo's pet? Tamsin please tell me you're not about to risk your life for a _human_!"

"She's no one's pet, and she's not just any human!" Tamsin automatically defended the girl. She wouldn't stand for anyone degrading her, even her mentor and friend.

Acacia sighed exasperatedly. "Fuck Tamsin, you really have gone soft! Don't go picking a fight with that nutbag over someone whose life is already on borrowed time."

"I'll find him with or without your help, but so help me god, if she's dead by the time I get there because you wouldn't tell me shit when you know exactly where he is-"

"Idle threats T."

"You wanna test that theory?" Tamsin challenged. "I love you Acacia, but I also love Kenzi. She was there for me when no one else was. She didn't have to take me in, she had major problems of her own at the time, but she put it all aside to take care of me when I was at my most vulnerable. She made me happy when I was sad, watched movies with me….she gave me a home when I didn't have one, clothed me, made me dinner, or well she tried to," Tamsin smiled, remembering the times Kenzi had tried cooking. Those nights normally ended with take-out meals. "She made me feel loved, protected, safe. I've never had someone do that for me, someone who put me before her own self. And she did that, every single time. She never asked for anything in return." Tamsin's voice lost the soft quality it had gained while talking about Kenzi, instead being replaced by cold determination. "Whether or not you approve, she's my family Acacia, and I'm not going to abandon her after all she has done for me."

Acacia considered her words, never having the kind of rebirth Tamsin had just described. She'd never had someone there to help ease her through the transition. Come to think of it, she didn't know of any Valkyrie who was lucky enough to have had Tamsin's experience. The whole process was normally scary as a child, roaming the streets or the woods alone, not knowing how they got there or why nobody wanted them. They had to fend for themselves at a young age. It taught Valkyries to be self-reliant. They needed to have a hard exterior in order to survive. Acacia briefly wondered what it would have been like to be raised by someone who loved her, to know that she was not alone.

"Fine," she relented. She took a deep breath, not really sure if she was doing the right thing or signing Tamsin's death certificate. "He's a creature of habit. He's holed up in a cave underground on the outskirts of town."

"Thanks Caysh," Tamsin used the nickname fondly.

"Yeah yeah, don't make me regret this Tams," Acacia brushed off Tamsin's appreciative tone, refusing to let the reborn valkyrie's display of gratitude get to her. "'I'm serious. You're on your last life. I'll drag your ass out of a grave if I have to!"

Tamsin couldn't help but smirk at the mental image. She wouldn't put anything past the stubborn bitch. "Noted. But that won't be necessary. He's going to die for what he's done, and this time I'll make sure he stays dead," she promised.

"Good." There was a pause. "And Tamsin?"

"Yeah?"

Acacia sounded almost pained to say the words, but she had to get them out. "Thank the human for me."

Before Tamsin could say anything in response, the older valkyrie hung up.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hey all. So I'm still in the process of moving, long tedious process, and I under went a few tests this week to try to figure out what's causing my chronic nausea, including having an endoscopy. Just the idea of having a camera stuck down my throat and into my intestines and stomach weirded me out. Anyways, despite all this, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long. This chapter kind of took on a life of it's own; I only meant this to be a small section of a chapter, but I go with the flow of the story and I didn't want to rush anything. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but between work, the doctor's, and moving, I can't guarantee anything. Please let me know if you like this chapter! The big confrontation is coming up soon. Thanks for reading!

CHAPTER 5

Kenzi stood in front of one of her old hangouts she used to frequent. She took a deep breath, putting on a cheerful façade. She entered the condemned house, being careful of where she stepped. One wrong move on one of these rotting floorboards and she could end up in the basement. Cobwebs hung in the corners. Dust covered neglected furniture which was surrounded by trash. The clubhouse would be considered a three star hotel compared to this place and that's saying something. The boarded up windows blocked out the world beyond.

"Who's there?" a voice echoed down the hall. The tall figure stepped out from the shadows, a gun poised at the intruder.

Kenzi immediately put her hands in the air. "It's okay Treb, it's just me," she responded, recognizing the voice as belonging to Treble, the music lover with an affinity for getting into trouble.

"Kenzi?" the young man asked in disbelief. Upon seeing her face, he put the gun back in the waistband of his worn out jeans, running up to his friend and hugging her tight.

Kenzi laughed, "good to see you too man." She wrapped her arms around him.

Treb pulled away first, "where the hell have you been woman?!" he demanded. "Oz said you were okay, but I haven't heard from you in years!"

"Ozzie is here?" The small fact caught Kenzi off guard.

"Yeah, he moved back in with us after things went south on the other side of town," Treb filled her in, sorrow lacing his tone.

Kenzi frowned, wondering what exactly had happened to her friend and why he had never told her. "He's okay though, right?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Ozzie smiled, coming into the main room with Chase trailing close behind. He engulfed Kenzi in his arms. "I've missed you Kenz."

"I missed you too," she breathed into his shoulder, allowing herself to find comfort in his embrace.

"Though you kind of suck at keeping in contact," he teased her.

Kenzi lightly smacked his arm, pointing her finger at him, "a phone works both ways amigo."

He chuckled, "okay okay, good point. We both suck then."

Kenzi shrugged, grinning, "fair enough."

"Hey M&M," Chase greeted her, sticking out his hand to shake hers.

Kenzi smiled at the use of the abbreviation of her street name 'Meow Meow.' She grabbed his hand, "oh get over here you," pulling him into her arms.

"So what's up with the 3am visit? You're not in trouble are you?" Treb asked, automatically becoming protective of the young woman.

"Nah," Kenzi waved it off. "I was just looking for someone and figured you guys would be the best people in town to ask. And it comes with the added bonus of getting to see the three stooges," she winked jokingly.

"Without you here, it's turned into a bachelor pad again," Chase smirked at her, his disheveled blonde hair falling into his face slightly.

Treb rolled his eyes, "like Kenzi was ever the kind of girl who cleaned up after us."

"Oh hell no," Kenzi agreed, "you can clean your own shit up."

Ozzie refrained from joining in the casual banter, taking in his friend's appearance and behavior. "Who are you looking for?" he asked, getting the group back on topic.

Kenzi turned back towards him, "he's in his early thirties, short brown hair, goes by the name Massimo. He's only been in town about a year."

"The crazy guy who sells potions to gullible people on the streets?" Chase asked.

"Kenzi, stay away from him, he's bad news," Ozzie told her seriously. "I don't want you anywhere near him."

"I know, I've run into him before," she explained, a sadness coming over her features Ozzie had never seen in her before. "I'll be fine." Her face hardened against the onslaught of emotions she felt building within her. "He owes me, and I'm just going to collect," she answered truthfully. '_He owes me his life,_' she thought to herself.

"Whatever he owes you, it's not worth it," Treb responded before the others could. "You can't trust him to stay true to his word. He's a real whack job."

Ozzie's eyes drifted lower, eyeing an object tucked into the girl's waistband. Without saying another word, he grabbed Kenzi's elbow, dragging her down the hall to the privacy of an empty room, slamming the door behind them.

"Oz! What the hell man?" they could hear Treb yelling down the hall after them.

Kenzi yanked her arm out of the man's grip, furrowing her eyebrows at his sudden and unexpected reaction. "What's gotten into you?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Oz said, his voice harsh. He pushed her shirt up to her belly button, grabbing the item he had spied in her waistband earlier. Ozzie held the gun up in between them angrily. "You know exactly how dangerous that son of a bitch is. No more lies Kenzi! What the fuck are planning?!"

Kenzi lurched forward, trying to grab the gun back but missing as it was pulled out of her reach. "Now's not the time Ozzie, give me that back!"

"Do you even know how much trouble you could get into with one of these?! It's police issue only!"

"I know that! It's my fiancé's, now hand it over!" She lunged again, failing at this game of keep away.

"Fiancé?" he questioned, the word catching him by complete surprise.

Kenzi groaned frustrated, bringing her hands up in a strangling motion, pivoting on the spot away from him. "It's a long story Oz, but yes I am engaged, and before you even ask, yes I am happy," she turned back to him with a sad smile. "But there's something I need to take care of first."

"And it involves Massimo and your fiancé's gun?" Ozzie asked, adding up all of the clues in his head.

"I shouldn't have come here," she said exasperated. "Just give me back the gun and I'll leave," she held her hand out for the item.

"No, you came here because you didn't think I'd be here. You just thought it'd be Treble and Chase. You might be able to fool the others, but you can't fool me Kenzi. I know you too well for that. We've been through too much shit together," he stepped closer to her, putting his free hand on her arm. "You're one of the best cons I've ever met, but you can't con me. I can see the pain in your eyes, hear the hollowness in your laughter, see the emptiness in your smile. Kenzi," he asked, waiting until her eyes met his. "What did Massimo do to you?" Sadness laced his voice.

Kenzi could see how worried Ozzie was about her, about what the druid had done to her, and about what she in turned planned to do. As much as she wanted to curl up in his arms and tell him everything, she knew she couldn't. He could never know about the fae. His last run in with them, during the sewer aligator and slenderman incident, was covered up brilliantly by Dyson. Ozzie and the others were part of a mass cult kidnapping. They were given drugs by their captors which affected their health and memory. The drugs explained the minor amnesia and bloody nose. Ozzie never even entertained the idea that there were supernatural creatures out there, let alone in his own city. It was safer for him to remain oblivious to that fact. If he found out the truth, the fae could come after him, and as Kenzi had learned twice over tonight, there would be nothing she could do to save him.

"Oz, just forget it-" she tried to brush him off but he held her firmly in place.

"No, I know you Kenzi, and this isn't you. You're not a murderer, you don't kill people. So tell me, what the hell did this bastard do to you?" Even in the worst of times, the spirited young woman had remained positive and upbeat. She only resorted to violence when absolutely forced to. Yet here she was, purposely seeking out a man with a gun in her waistband. What could have pushed her this far?

"Ozzie please!" she begged him to stop asking her questions she really didn't want to answer. Tears began to leak out of her eyes as she strained to pull away from him.

Ozzie's heart broke watching his close friend try to withdraw into herself, away from him. Whatever Massimo did to warrant this reaction, Ozzie was beginning to find himself wishing ill on the potion maker who had hurt Kenzi this badly. "Kenzi, I'm not going to-"

"Just let me go!" Kenzi nearly screamed, tears steadily streaming down her face. The wall she had put up to block out her emotions was quickly crumbling once more. She needed to get out of here before she lost it and her grief took over again.

"I can't, not until you tell me what Massimo did to you!" he raised his voice, refusing to back down no matter how much he wanted to soothe her.

"He killed Bo!" she shouted at him, the admission cause her to fall to her knees. It was the first time she had said the words out loud, and it made everything all the more real. "He stabbed my fiancé right in front of me and then took Bo away from me," she sobbed.

Ozzie's eyes grew wide, never having expected to hear those words come out of her mouth. "Oh god," he whispered in shock, dropping down beside her. He laid the gun down on the ground so he could pull her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Kenzi," he whispered into her shoulder. An image of the beautiful brunette Ozzie had met when he went to the clubhouse to see Kenzi entered his mind. He couldn't believe she was actually gone. He was saddened by her death, but moreso he mourned for Kenzi's loss. He had heard many stories about Bo from his friend. He would be forever grateful to Bo for taking Kenzi off the streets, giving her a place she could call home, and making her feel like she belonged somewhere. Kenzi had told him how close they were. Kenzi didn't just lose her best friend, she lost her sister. The clubhouse wasn't Kenzi's home, Bo was. "I didn't mean to-please forgive me," he paused, not knowing what else to say. He felt like a jerk for prying into her private life, but on the other hand he couldn't let her walk out the door intent on facing a madman by herself.

"It's okay." Kenzi wiped the tears from her face, trying to regain her composure. She couldn't let Treb and Chase see she had been crying. "You didn't know," she responded softly. "If our positions were reversed, I probably would have done the same as you."

"I just worry about you Kenzi. From the first day I met you and saved you from that lecherous asshole."

"Yeah, I seem to have made a habit out of meeting the best people that way," Kenzi smirked, remembering how Ozzie had saved her when she had wandered in her fever induced haze into a stranger's tent in the sewers and how Bo had saved her when some rich pervert had drugged her and tried to date rape her.

Kenzi used her thieving skills to snatch the gun back from its resting place before Oz even knew what had happened. He eyed the weapon, "You're not still planning on going after him are you?"

Kenzi pushed off the ground, barricading her emotions once more. "I have to. I'm not going to let him get away with this." Hatred danced in her eyes, something Ozzie had only seen when Kenzi had talked about her step father.

"If I can't talk you out of it, then I'm going with you," the young man stood up next to her.

Fear immediately seized her, "no! You can't!"

"I'm not going to let you face him alone!" he said defiantly.

Kenzi whirled on him, "and I'm not going to let another person I care about die at his hands!" Her glossy eyes hardened, "I'll make sure he never hurts anyone ever again." She ripped open the door, stomping past Chase who had apparently been listening to the entire conversation with his ear pressed up against the door. She could feel Ozzie right on her heels as Treble came into view. "Where's Massimo?" she demanded. She was tired of wasting time. She needed answers and she needed them now.

Ozzie's voice called from over her shoulder, "don't tell her!"

Treb's hazel eyes shifted from Kenzi's to Ozzie's, obviously torn about what to do.

Kenzi gritted her teeth. She loved Ozzie, but damn it if he wasn't getting on her last nerve right now. She focused on the other man in the room. "Treb, you owe me. Now tell me where Massimo is _now_."

Treb bit his lip, reliving all of the times Kenzi had literally saved his ass in the past. He let out a weary sigh, knowing he would probably regret what he was about to do. And he would also have to deal with a pissed off Ozzie after this. "He's living underneath an abandoned warehouse. He's set up shop down there."

Kenzi smiled appreciatively. "Thank you," she put her hand on Treb's shoulder briefly as she passed by him on her way outside.

Ozzie looked at the other man incredulously, "what the fuck?!" Treb shrugged, not knowing what else to do as he followed Oz and Kenzi out the front door.

"Don't do this Kenzi!" Ozzie shouted at her as he ran towards her. Kenzi was quickly nearing the street where her car was parked.

"I'll call you when I get back," she yelled over her shoulder as she got in the car. She slammed the door shut just as Oz hit the side of the car hard. She immediately locked the doors. He tried the handle multiple times, banging his fists against the window in frustration. She started the engine, pulling away from her friends. Ozzie grabbed at any piece of the car he could, futilely trying to stop Kenzi from leaving. Ozzie ran a short distance after the car, stopping in the middle of the street as he watched his friend speed away, not knowing if he'd ever see her again.

Chase and Treb watched from the doorway as Kenzi drove off, leaving them all behind. Ozzie grumbled, running to their shared truck. He jumped in, shoving the key in the ignition. He turned it, hearing the engine crank over, but refused to start. He tried again and again to no avail. He jumped back out of the truck, wrenching open the hood. Rough hands roamed over the motor, battery, and other components. Upon discovering the missing spark plug, he slammed the hood back down, pounding his fists into it. "Damn it Kenzi!" he shouted into the night. She didn't want him to follow her, so she made sure he couldn't. He punched the already beaten up truck again, realizing Kenzi must have removed the spark plug before she even entered the house. She had this all planned out from the beginning.

Chase glanced at Treb, muttering, "typical, of course she messes with the truck." Treb rolls his eyes at the blonde, "that's our girl." Both of them parted ways as an enraged Ozzie shoved past them back inside the house. They exchange another look before walking back inside.

Ozzie grabbed his phone from his bedside, scrolling through numbers, searching for one he had only ever used during the whole mass kidnapping incident. Finally he found it.

Dyson rifled through paperwork covering his desk. He dragged one hand over his sleep-riddled eyes. Coming into the station to get some work done seemed like a good way to take his mind off of things at the time, namely everything with Bo and then his run-in with Tamsin at the Dal. His focus shifted to his phone ringing, wondering who the hell it could be at this hour. He picked it up, answering gruffly, "hello?"

"Is this Detective Thornwood?" a male voice asked.

"Yes, and may I ask who this is?" Dyson questioned curiously.

"You may not remember me. It's Ozzie, Kenzi's friend? Look, you and Kenzi seemed tight, and she told me you were one of the few cool cops in this city, and coming from her, that means a lot. I'm not sure what the hell is going on, but I think she's in serious danger," Oz confided in the man he had only met twice before. If anyone could find Kenzi and stop her, it would be a police officer. The only other person who could possibly stop her would have been Bo, but that obviously wasn't an option right now.

Ozzie's words snapped Dyson out of his sleepy haze quicker than any caffeinated drink ever could. His heart began to pound. "Kenzi? What's going on?"

Oz was glad to hear the sudden serious tone in the detective's voice. It reaffirmed that he had made the correct choice by calling the older man. "She's headed to go see this madman named Massimo. He's not just some crazy guy, he's dangerous. According to Kenzi, he's already stabbed her fiancé and killed her best friend." A long pause came over the other end of the line. "Detective?"

Dyson struggled to breathe. The intake of new information was a lot to deal with from the word fiancé to him being injured to…Kenzi's best friend being murdered. "Bo?" the shifter asked, barely managing to get the name out.

"Yes," Oz replied. "Did you know her?" he asked hesitantly, wondering if he should have mentioned anything to begin with. He shook that thought out of his head; the detective needed to know what this man was capable of and know the severity of the situation at hand.

Dyson squeezed his eyes shut for a moment against the pain stemming from his chest, trying to keep his mind focused. He wouldn't let himself believe the human's words until he heard them from one of his friends. Maybe Kenzi had a reason to lie to Ozzie about Bo's death. "Yes," Dyson simply said, unable to talk about Bo in the past tense.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Ozzie expressed sincerely. "But now he might also kill Kenzi! Detective Thornwood, I'm only telling you this because Kenzi trusts you, but she was headed there with a gun. One way or the other, someone else is going to die tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hey all! Don't kill me please for this insanely late update. I have not given up on any of my stories; life just became very hectic between moving, unpacking, work, my masters program squeezed into a summer session complete with writing a thesis/proposal/dissertation and defending it in front of a panel, graduating from my masters (two separate graduations, one including a speech from President Obama! Even if you don't like the president, I like having bragging rights of saying I saw the president and he spoke at my graduation lol), having family fly out to visit, having my friend from London here for a month, job applications, and my dog becoming very ill which he is still recovering from. He was sleeping in my lap most of the time I was typing this chapter up. So just know, I am still working on my stories and I much rather would have been typing up my fics than my insane amount of essays. I hope you all are still interested in this story, especially since we're now getting into the showdown between Massimo and Kenzi. As always, please leave me a review, they always brighten my day. Thank you all for sticking with me. Hopefully now I can begin to update again normally.

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><p>CHAPTER 6<p>

"Come on, pick up pick up!" Dyson grumbled impatiently. His heart was racing from the news he had just received.

"Kinda busy here," Tamsin answered her phone, juggling it between her shoulder and cheek while she continued towards Massimo's last known whereabouts.

"Thank God," Dyson breathed, grateful to be able to get in touch with his partner. If anyone would know what was going on with Kenzi and Bo, it would be Tamsin. "I just got a call from one of Kenzi's street friends. He said Kenzi was danger and…Bo…" he couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud.

Tamsin caught onto his meaning easily enough, closing her eyes momentarily to control her own emotions regarding the fucked up situation she found herself in. "Yeah I know," she said empathically. "You've been missing out on a real shitstorm here partner."

"What's going on? Tell me everything," he demanded. The wolf hated being out of the loop when something this serious was going on.

"Yeah, about that, remember when I said I was busy? I'm on my way to go save the human's ass before she joins Bo in the underworld. Call the newly revived siren, he'll explain everything." She turned off the phone, tossing it into the empty passenger's seat. The blonde gripped the wheel tightly as she made a sharp turn. She didn't have time to play messenger, not when Kenzi's life was on the line.

"Newly revived? Wait Tamsin-" he heard a click, signaling the call had ended. He growled under his breath. "Damn it!" Dyson quickly dialed Hale's number, hoping he would be able to provide him with answers to his ever growing number of questions.

Hale paced in the living room. He was going stir crazy. Tamsin had left him behind with no means of transportation. He briefly thought of calling for a taxi, but then where would he tell the driver to go? He didn't even know where Massimo was! He ran his hands over his hair forcefully out of frustration. A familiar ringtone sounded from upstairs interrupting his train of thought. His feet pounded up the stairs, following the music to Kenzi's bedroom. The siren rifled through the abandoned clothes on the ground, finding the source of the sound coming from his cell phone in his discarded jeans' pocket. "Hello?!" he answered abruptly, not even checking the caller ID in the hope that it was Kenzi calling him.

"Hale! I just heard about Kenzi and Bo. What the hell is going on?" Dyson asked, getting straight to the point.

"Dyson." While Hale was happy to hear his voice, it did nothing to relieve the worry he felt. "You've missed a lot man."

"So I've been told. Care to fill me in?" Dyson asked, but it was more of a demand than a request.

* * *

><p>Kenzi drove through the warehouse district on the outskirts of the city slowly, eyeing the buildings she passed. While most of them looked decrepit, she knew only a few of them were truly abandoned. She had already checked two buildings but came up empty handed. Kenzi shifted the car into park, undoing her seatbelt and opening the door. "Third time is the charm," she muttered to herself, approaching the next possible hideout the druid could be holed up in. Her hand instinctively felt the hilt of her katana and the grip of her gun, the cool feel of each providing reassurance and strengthening her resolve.<p>

She grabbed the knob to the first door she came across, surprised that it was actually locked. "Well that's a good sign," she appraised, pulling out a small metal tool from her belt to pick the lock. Most abandoned buildings were unlocked since they had been previously broken into, sometimes multiple times. The only time places like this were locked is when someone else had already occupied it and claimed it as their own. She was either about to find Massimo or a pissed off street kid.

A familiar click made her smile as she pushed open the door. Ice blue eyes scanned her surroundings, attempting to adjust to the darkness as she travelled further down the empty hallway. She withdrew Geraldine, holding her weapon at the ready, unsure what she would find. Upon reaching a corner, she pressed up against the wall. She pulled a compact mirror out of her pocket, tilting it at an angle to see if the coast was clear down the unexplored hall. No one was visible, but that didn't mean it was safe. She proceeded carefully, constantly on guard for trouble. Trash littered the floor. She scrunched her nose up at the rancid smell that seemed to permeate the air. Doors lined the walls, either slightly ajar, closed, or hanging off the hinges. She scoured the area, looking for stairs that could possibly lead to the druid's underground hide out.

Kenzi reached the end of the building, knowing stairwells were normally in the corners of a building. Her street smarts paid off as she approached a dusty door that was once labeled as a stairwell, but now was missing half of its letters so that it read, "S i w ll." She swung open the heavy door. It groaned as it closed behind her, the sound echoing loudly. Her footsteps were light to prevent any further noise from travelling to the wrong ears.

The basement reminded Kenzi of the many horror movies she had watched with Bo, a bowl of popcorn settled between them as they yelled at the characters to not go into the cellar. Thinking of her best friend caused a sad smile to cross her lips as her heart clenched painfully. The memory fueled her need for revenge, to put an end to the madman that had taken so much from her. Massimo believed he always had the upper hand, that he was untouchable. It was time for Kenzi to give him a serious reality check, it was time he learned who he was messing with.

Kenzi stepped around a puddle that had formed from water dripping onto the concrete floor, soaking the debris nearby. Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. Her heart pounded in anticipation. She spied a small hole in a wall, barely big enough for a man to crawl through. Her petite body easily slid in, stepping out on the other side. The stone walls were replaced with dirt. A dampness hung in the air, clinging to her porcelain skin. Her clothes began to stick to her as she wandered deeper into the cave's recesses. Her hands brushed along the dirt walls, using her touch to see better in the darkness. A dim light finally appeared. Her mind could not help but think of the irony as she walked towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

The young woman eased herself around dirt walls that jutted out into the room. The silhouette of a person came into view. She gritted her teeth, her top lip raised in a barely contained snarl at seeing the back of the man who murdered her fiancé and indirectly caused Bo's death, a snarl that Dyson would be proud of. She approached slowly, hiding in the shadows as she crept up behind the druid. Her fingers curled around the hilt of her katana repeatedly, repositioning themselves to get the best grip, anxiously awaiting the moment when the blade would slice through Massimo's skin. Wordlessly, she raised Gerladine, preparing to strike when she was only mere feet from the druid. She drew down her sword with all of her might, gasping in shock when Massimo turned, blocking her attack with his own blade. She breathed heavily, her chest heaving in anger at being denied her revenge.

The druid tisked at her, as if she were a little girl who needed reprimanding, "did you honestly think you could just sneak in here and kill me with one blow? Did you really think it would be that easy?" He pushed his blade outward, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps. "You're even dumber than I thought."

"You will die for what you've done," she seethed. "For murdering Hale, for Bo…"

"Wait," Massimo held up a hand. "The succubus is dead too?" He laughed in glee, "oh now this is a great turn of events! Mommy will be so proud of me." A sick and twisted grin spread across his face. "And we'll top it off by putting an end to the human pet nuisance." He came at her again, his sword swinging, clanging against the metal of Kenzi's katana as she blocked his attack. He bombarded her with continuous strikes. Massimo was physically stronger than her, each blow causing Kenzi's feet to slide back in the dirt. She met each of his attacks with a skill he didn't realize the small human possessed. "Impressive," he raised his eyebrows. "Although I guess you have to be good at something when you're powerless in a world full of creatures that consider you nothing more than food."

"Speaking from experience Massimo?" Kenzi countered. "A little birdie told me that you're human too." The druid's face darkened as he was reminded about his own inadequacies. "So you surround yourself with all things fae, learn how to make potions and disguise yourself as one of them. Take it from someone who has learned her lesson: you will _never_ be fae, you will _never _be one of them!"

Massimo roared, swinging his sword with a vengeance. Kenzi continued to yell as she blocked each of his blows. "I'm okay with that now, because unlike you, I have been accepted for who I am. I don't need powers for my faemily to love me!" The druid's anger rose at her words causing his attacks to become sloppy. Kenzi smirked, seeing her opening as she lunged forward, already envisioning her blade hitting its mark. Massimo stepped back, swinging his weapon in a circular motion, disarming Kenzi as her katana landed a good distance away in the dirt. Kenzi shifted her gaze from her now empty hand to where her precious sword lay.

The shock of what had happened wore off when Kenzi felt the cool metal tip of Massimo's sword against the side of her neck. "You never should have come here. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? It's too bad I have to kill you now, I'm sure Hale and Bo were enjoying their afterlife without you there to pester them."

"You kill me and you'll be signing your own death warrant. I have people who love me, and they'll hunt you down for what you've done," she narrowed her eyes, panting from the exertion of the fight.

"Let them come," Massimo grinned. He drew back his sword, preparing to strike. Kenzi instantly fell to the ground, making her body become dead weight. She could feel the breeze from Massimo's sword as it just missed slicing her head off. The druid looked down a moment too late as Kenzi swiped her leg out, knocking Massimo to the floor as well.

She immediately took off running towards her katana. She was only feet away from it when she saw a satchel go flying past her, landing just in front of her. Smoke poured out from the bag. Within seconds, she couldn't see anything but grey. She dropped to her knees, searching around for her sword in the thick haze. "Come on, come on," she whispered, knowing her weapon was nearby. Her hands moved frantically through the dirt, fingers sifting through the rough grains A hard kick to her stomach sent her flying onto her side. She groaned loudly; only hours ago, Massimo had hit her in this exact same spot. Her previous injuries flared up, aggravated once more.

"What happened? Giving up already? Because I'm just getting started," Massimo's callous voice echoed around her. She whipped her head from side to side, searching for the direction the sound had come from. Kenzi clutched her stomach with one arm as she began to rise. Her eyes watered from the smoke. Kenzi felt a blade knick her arm, cutting through her clothing and skin. Blood slowly oozed out, being absorbed into the woman's shirt. Kenzi lashed out, hitting nothing but air. She tried to concentrate on the sounds around her, but the druid was being too stealthy. An elbow connected with her cheek, knocking her on her back. She rasped as she tried taking in a few breaths. She stayed low, hoping Massimo would have a harder time finding her if she wasn't standing at her full height. She had two choices: she could stay here and try to find her sword, which Massimo may have already disposed of, or she could run and hopefully find a way out of the smoke. She obviously didn't have the advantage in the smoke, so running seemed like the best option. There was no point getting killed searching for a weapon that might not even still be here. She rose once more on unsteady feet. The smoke burned her lungs as she pushed forwards, sprinting as fast as she could. She prayed she wouldn't accidentally slam into a wall in this cloud of fog.

Each step caused pain to shoot through her abdomen. Kenzi's vision slowly became clearer. She felt fresh air hit her in the face and purge the smoke from her lungs. She ran further, weaving around walls to put distance between her and her enemy. She finally looked back, noticing that the smoke seemed to be contained in a sphere, about 15 feet in any direction from the satchel it originated from. Another one of the druid's parlor tricks.

Massimo walked out of the gloom, the smoke seeming to cling to him as it slowly dissipated from the room. "Now what are you going to do human? Your precious fae pals aren't here to save you this time."

"I don't need anyone to save me." Kenzi reached into her pocket, her fingers wrapping around a small object.

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><p>Tamsin sped through the warehouse district, realizing the underground hideout she was looking for must be hidden underneath a building after her search for stand-alone caves led her to a dead end. Her eyes shifted in every direction, trying to decide which building to check first. She cursed under her breath, realizing how much time that would take. Before her mind could wander any further, she slammed on the brakes, turning the car sideways. She pushed opened the door, seeing the car she had previously hijacked in order to race home to Kenzi after Bo's phone call parked outside of one of the structures. "Thank you Kenzi," Tamsin smiled at her small amount of luck. While it told her where Kenzi was, it also meant that Kenzi had beaten her here and was already fighting Massimo. The Valkyrie ran inside; she had no time to waste.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I'm so glad you are all still interested in this story. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long during the big battle, so I got this done as quick as I could. Thanks again, and enjoy! Please leave me a review, no matter how long or short :)

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><p>CHAPTER 7<p>

Kenzi withdrew her hand from her pocket, holding her fist out in front of her with her palm facing up. She uncurled her fingers, revealing a small brown sphere. Massimo drew in a large breathe, "How did you- where did you find that?!" he demanded.

"Oh this little thing?" Kenzi held it up to face level with two fingers, twisting it back and forth as she pretended to examine it. "Let's just say I borrowed it from a friend. It pays to know the right people." The seed began pulsating, glowing red.

Tamsin burst into the room, seeing Kenzi eyeing the Una Mens seed in her hand while Massimo took a hesitant step backwards, his eyes wide in alarm. "Kenzi," Tamsin said softly to gain the other woman's attention. Ice blue orbs looked up at the blonde. "Just hand that over to me. You don't want to use it," she tried reasoning with the distraught human.

Kenzi shook her head, "no." She snapped back towards Massimo, "he deserves to die, to feel the pain Hale felt when he ran him through with my sword, to feel my anguish when I watched the love of my life die in my arms." Venom dripped from the girl's words. Her eyes flickered between their normal blue and a blood red. Power emanated from the Una Mens seed, small wisps of it seeping out and into the young human as she welcomed it. The rush it gave her was addicting. It promised her strength, it promised her revenge.

"Kenzi, please don't do this!" Tamsin begged. "You'll die!" Kenzi was already weak from fighting, not to mention her emotions taking a toll on her physically. Her human body wouldn't be able to handle that kind of power.

Kenzi gave a sad smile, "I'm already dead inside."

"No," Tamsin said firmly. "No you're not. You have more life inside of you than anyone else I know, and more strength than any human should have." She stepped closer to Kenzi, still talking to distract her and try to make the girl see the truth. "Kenzi, you're the reason I am the way I am. You raised me in a home with love; I never even had that in my very first life with my own mother. You took care of me, made me feel better when I was sick, made me laugh when I was sad, protected me from fae that could have easily killed you, and you loved me even when I was a little brat."

Kenzi's red eyes glistened, listening to her friend's words. "I can't choose between them Tamsin," she whispered, knowing she didn't have to specify who she was talking about for Tamsin to understand. In order to get Hale back, she had to lose Bo, and that was a choice she could never make. "My heart can't take this anymore. I can't get one of them back just to lose the other. I can't…" She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay, swallowing the large lump in her throat. She couldn't break down now, not in front of the man who killed her lover. She had a job to do.

"Am I not good enough?" Tamsin asked, her voice cracking.

Kenzi faltered, her head whipping around to look at the blonde, not sure she had heard correctly. She had never heard the strong valkyrie's voice sound so weak and defeated. "What?"

Tamsin's eyebrows furrowed, her own eyes close to shedding tears. "Am I not good enough? Am I not worth you staying alive for?"

Kenzi opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Tamsin…" she finally uttered, unable to actually form a thought in response to what the other woman had said.

Tamsin shook her head, not wanting Kenzi to argue with her on this; it would hurt too much. "Do I mean so little to you that you would throw yourself away without thinking about how I would feel?" She brought her hand up to her heart, "you taught me what love is, you and Bo did. No one ever gave a fuck if I lived or died before you two came along. You showed me what it means to be loved, what is to feel love, and I know you've now felt what it is like to have it ripped away from you. If you give in to the origin seed and use it to torture Massimo, it'll consume you. You'll die and you'll be putting me through the same fucking hell that you've been living. Do you really want that for me? Because that's where we're headed. I've already lost Bo, don't take the only other person who has ever loved me away from me Kenzi." In a rare display of emotion, Tamsin couldn't contain the tears that leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "Don't leave me."

Kenzi inhaled sharply, hearing the same words being spoken to her that she had continued to beg of Hale and Bo: don't leave me. How could she knowingly put her lil T through the same torturous nightmare she had been suffering through? The answer was simple, she couldn't. Her mind screamed at her to take in the Una Mens' power, to lose herself in it and murder Massimo like the worthless scum he is. But her heart wouldn't let her. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, gripping the seed in her other hand tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dispel the temptation of the massive power that had already begun seeping into her pores, into her veins, into her very soul. It was trying to take over her body to do her bidding, so that she in turn would bend to its will.

Kenzi suddenly felt arms around her. She opened her red eyes; all she could see was blonde hair as the valkyrie engulfed her petite frame. Her inner struggle had made her unable to hear the other woman's approach. The tension slowly left Kenzi's body, the Una Mens' power receding back into its small capsule. "Let it go," Tamsin breathed into her ear. "I'm right here. Just let it go." Kenzi's hand slowly unclenched, her fingers twitching as she did so. Tamsin took the seed from her before Kenzi could change her mind. She wrapped it in an old cloth, slipping it into her jacket pocket, out of sight and out of mind. Feeling a partial weight relieved from her, the younger woman sagged in Tamsin's arms. She reached out, returning the hug. Tamsin watched as the human's eyes slowly faded back to their original ice blue.

Both women heard a small noise off to the side, interrupting their moment. Kenzi immediately composed herself when she noticed the druid trying to subtly make his escape. She took a few steps closer to him. "And where the hell do you think you're going?" she sneered. She pulled out a gun, surprising both Tamsin and Massimo. She gently rubbed the weapon with her thumb, as if she were caressing a lover. "This is Hale's," she began fondly, "from his detective days." She pointed it in his direction, squinting one eye to aim. Massimo froze, knowing whatever came next was going to hurt very much. "He took down many criminals with this: rapists, gang members, kidnappers," she looked straight into his eyes as she emphasized the last word, "_murderers_." She tilted the gun offhandedly, toying with it and her prey. "Ya know, it never seemed to matter whether they were fae or human. They all went down with a single shot." She was thoroughly enjoying the fear Massimo was unknowingly projecting.

Tamsin stood back, knowing Kenzi needed to do this. She herself had done much worse to people who had wronged her in the past. She wasn't going to deny Kenzi this cathartic opportunity. She would only step in if absolutely necessary, but it seemed that Kenzi had everything under control. The valkyrie figured she might as well enjoy the show. He deserved all of this and more for aiding in capturing Bo for the Wanderer, for exploiting Kenzi's need for fae powers and protection from the Una Mens, for trying to kidnap the human, for actually kidnapping herself, for robbing the clubhouse, for murdering Hale, and for beating up Kenzi. She gritted her teeth at the mere thought of that bastard laying his hands on her. No matter how much she wanted to torture him and flay him alive, this was Kenzi's battle.

Kenzi cocked the gun, hearing a satisfying click. "Now this," she grinned in anticipation, "this baby is a heck of a lot more useful than the pyrotechnics you scammed me into. This," she shot off a round, rock pieces flying off the wall a foot away from Massimo's head. He ducked, covering himself as the debris hit him. A malignant laugh resounded from the Russian. "This is much more useful, especially for what I have in mind."

Massimo stood back up, regaining some of his previous arrogance. He refused to bow down to a mere human. He may be a human himself, but he was also a powerful druid. "You're pathetic," he spat. "Blaming me for your own mistakes. No one made you come to me for fae powers, no one told you to steal from and betray your friends. That was all you."

Kenzi fired another shot, narrowly missing obliterating his penis. Massimo's eyes grew wide at her bold move. She had just proved how good her aim really was. She tisked at him, "it's not smart to piss off the one holding the gun Ass-imo."

"You have no idea what you are messing with," he seethed at her impudence. "You think you have power with your little hand gun?" He pulled a bottle out of his pocket containing a silver-green potion. "You haven't seen anything yet."

Tamsin uncrossed her arms, moving protectively towards Kenzi. She had no idea what was in that bottle but she could guarantee it wasn't nice. She jumped when she heard another gunshot. Massimo screamed in pain as a bullet soared through the hand holding the potion. He gripped his injured hand as blood ran down, dripping onto the floor. The potion bottle clattered to the ground, rolling a safe distance away. "You bitch!" Massimo yelled, breathing heavily against the searing pain shooting up his limb.

"Is the druid losing his fluid?" she mocked. "We don't want you to suffer now do we? Let's speed up the process." She pulled the trigger again, not even flinching as she hit him in the stomach. "On second thought," she tapped her chin as if she was deep in thought, "I think watching you die slowly while your blood drains out of your body is good entertainment," she said nonchalantly. If Bo could see her now, the succubus would be worried about the cold callousness in her voice and the uncaring blank look in her eyes. This wasn't the Kenzi she was used to, but this was the Kenzi Massimo had created.

Massimo held his good hand over the hole in his abdomen, biting down hard. Red liquid oozed through his fingers, staining his already soiled clothes. "You don't know who you're dealing with," he grunted.

"No," Kenzi yelled, finally showing some emotion again. "I know exactly who I am dealing with. I'm dealing with the heartless bastard who manipulated and abused me. I'm dealing with the fucker who drove a sword through my fiancé. I'm dealing with the asshole who is responsible for Bo being taken from me, for all of the heartache I've gone through." She took a deep breath, raising her lip in disgust at him. "No, it's you who doesn't know who you are dealing with." She raised her gun again. "You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but you do _not_ mess with my family!" she exclaimed with all of the built up rage she felt towards this sorry excuse for a man.

Massimo took a knee as he felt his body weakening. He watched skeptically as Kenzi raised her weapon again, not knowing how many bullets the woman had loaded it with. He was quickly finding out that he had severely underestimated her and the lengths she would go for those she loved, but there was still one major advantage he held over her. "Do your worst," he spat. "You can kill me as many times as you want, but I'll always come back. I'm immortal now thanks to you, remember?" His free hand fidgeted with the Twig of Zamora in his pocket, reassuring himself that he was still in possession of the priceless artifact.

The Russian showed no reaction to his comment. "As tempting as it is to kill you over and over again, watching you come back to life just to die again at my hands," Massimo balked at her words, "I'm looking for something a little more permanent."

Tamsin furrowed her eyebrows, impressed at Kenzi's idea of repeatedly killing Massimo but also knowing this wasn't like her. She had grown up only experiencing the loving, nurturing side of Kenzi. Massimo had changed her, made her more like how the valkyrie was in her last life which is something she would never wish on the normally compassionate human. In her old life, she would have found this amusing, but now she just found the entire thing sad.

Massimo was growing paler by the second, his eyelids becoming heavy as the darkness threatened to overtake him. He refused to give in to it, to her. Instead, he laughed in her face. "You made me immortal, you can't kill me with your gun. I'll just come back and kill you for all of this shit. But first I'll kill the rest of your deluded fae friends as you watch them scream."

Kenzi clenched her free hand into a fist, the anger inside of her growing exponentially at his threats against her family. It made her want to tap into the power within the otigin seed again, but she knew that was no longer an option. "You touch any of them ever again, and then you'll really see what I'm capable of," she promised. She would gladly die for any one of them before she ever let Massimo get near them.

"You can say whatever you want human, it doesn't change the fact that you can't kill me," he chuckled, knowing he would be victorious in the end no matter how this played out.

Having had enough of his arrogant ass, Kenzi brought up her empty hand, unclenching her fist. In it laid a tiny object, almost too small to be able to make out. She pinched it between her fingers, displaying the Twig of Zamora to the dying druid.

His jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief. "No," he cried. "That's impossible!" He frantically checked his pockets with his uninjured hand, turning them inside out when he couldn't find what he was looking for. "You never even came near me!" he exclaimed, pure fear now evident in his features. He was beginning to panic, the reality that he would actually die this time was setting in. "How did…what are you?!"

Kenzi raised her gun once more, steeling her face against all emotion. "I'm a shadow thief mother fucker." She pulled the trigger one last time, the gunshot reverberating off of the cavern's walls as it sunk solidly into Massimo's flesh. He whimpered before crashing to the ground with a satisfying thud. Until that moment when her bullet pierced through his heart, Kenzi wasn't sure if he even had one. She stood there for a while staring at the body, making sure he didn't rise again.

Tamsin walked past her, leaning over to check Massimo's pulse. Upon not feeling it, she declared, "Massimo is dead." That was the sentence she had been longing to hear, the one Tamsin knew the petite human needed to hear. A large weight was lifted from Kenzi's shoulders by finally having gotten revenge on the only other man besides her stepfather who had managed to make her life a living hell.

"He's gone," Kenzi repeated out loud, rolling over the words in her mouth to see how they tasted. She had barely moved since she had fired the last shot. She clutched the twig of Zamora in one hand, while still hovering her finger above the gun's trigger in the other.

Tamsin shuffled her feet towards Kenzi, making sure the other woman heard her approaching so she wouldn't startle her and Kenzi wouldn't accidentally pull the trigger again with her finger resting so precariously close to it. "It's over Kenz," she said softly, resting her hand over the one that contained the weapon. Kenzi relinquished her grip on it. Tamsin put the safety back on.

"No it's not," Kenzi said. "I have one more stop to make."

Tamsin searched Kenzi's features, seeing nothing but determination in them. "Okay," she agreed. "Then you'll be needing this back." She handed the gun back to its rightful owner. "But I'm coming with you."

Kenzi slipped the gun back into her waistband, freezing at the blonde's words. "No you're not Tamsin," she said adamantly.

The valkyrie refused to back down, not after she had finally found Kenzi. She wasn't about to let her go off on another suicide mission. "Try and stop me," she challenged.

"Don't push me," the human warned. "I'm going alone and that's final."

"Why? Why are you so eager to push me away?" Tamsin demanded as she flung her arm out to the side. Kenzi obviously needed her family right now, so why wouldn't she just admit it?

"Because this is a one way trip," Kenzi responded solemnly. Too many people had died because of her already, she wasn't about to let her lil T be added to that list.

"No," Tamsin said in disbelief. "No, don't you even dare!" the blonde screamed at her.

"She did it for me," Kenzi said, not having to specify who the 'she' was.

"Bo sacrificed herself for you to be happy, for you to have the best possible chance at life, not for you to just throw it away and do the same thing she did!" she exclaimed, trying to knock some sense into the young woman.

"I can't just leave her there Tamsin!" Kenzi yelled back, becoming more and more frustrated.

"She's fae, she'll be fine. You're-"

"-human? Yeah, everyone always seems to be so quick to point that out," Kenzi responded venomously.

Tamsin groaned, "Kenzi that's not what I meant and you know it! Damn it, just talk to me!"

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Kenzi responded sarcastically, slowly backing away while holding her arms out to the side. Tamsin matched the other woman's footsteps, determined not to let her get away. Kenzi pulled out her gun, "I swear to God Tamsin, don't follow me."

Tamsin paused her movements, never expecting to see Kenzi point a weapon at her. She steeled herself against the ache in her chest Kenzi's actions caused, "you won't shoot me. You can't hurt someone you love."

"If it keeps you from following me which would ultimately save your life, then yeah, I can and I will," Kenzi said, her voice cold. She kept the gun trained on the woman she raised as she backed towards the exit.

Tamsin gritted her teeth, wanting to follow but also knowing that Kenzi wasn't in her right mind at the moment. Would she really do it? Would she really shoot her? If she honestly believed that it would save Tamsin's life in the end, then she just might. The blonde wouldn't be able to save Kenzi from whatever fate the young human had in mind if she had a bullet lodged in her. "Kenzi…" she warned. As soon as the woman reached the doorway, she turned and took off running. "Kenzi!" Tamsin yelled, chasing after her. Tamsin's wings sprouted out of her back as she ran. She focused on the two cars parked outside, feeling herself starting to teleport until a burning sensation in her pocket snapped her back into place. She quickly shook off the odd sensation, bringing the cloth out of her pocket to see the origins seed pulsating red before dimming back to its original brown. "Fuck!" she cursed at it, slipping it back where it belonged as she quickly continued her pursuit of her friend. Kenzi was further ahead of her now thanks to the stupid seed. Even after they were dead, the Una Mens still seemed to find a way to fuck things up. She slammed open the front door of the building, hearing gunshots as Kenzi drove off, tires screeching around the corner. Tamsin ran to her stolen car, seeing the tires shot out, all flat. "Damn it, mother fucking cock sucker!" Tamsin let out a stream of expletives as she punched and kicked the vehicle. She panted heavily, praying, "Odin protect her."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Apparently no matter what, real life will always get in the way of my writing time. I'm trying my best, and I just want you all to know I will not give up on this story or Tortura. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I wanted to be able to post a chapter for you guys so I ended this chapter a tad earlier than I anticipated. I hope you like it! And if I don't post again before November 27, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! Please leave me a review if you can. Thank you!

I will also admit that the fight scene between Massimo and Kenzi in the previous 2 chapters was very cathartic to write :)

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><p>CHAPTER 8<p>

Kenzi walked through the abandoned graveyard in the middle of the woods, stopping in front of a headstone inscribed with "Rita Castielle" in bold, faded letters. The name itself meant nothing to the young woman, but the small plot of land under which Rita was buried interested her greatly. When Bo had shut out her entire family, Kenzi had spent much of her time with Lauren and Dyson. They talked about a lot of things, including the time Bo's former lovers had tracked her down when that stupid crow disguised as genie in a bottle had conned the succubus into going with him to this very graveyard. At the time, Kenzi had been curious about how Lauren and Dyson had found out where Bo was; she didn't think Sargent Scratch-and-Sniff's nose was _that_ good. During this conversation, her friends had disclosed the location of the hidden cemetery. From what they had told her, the dirt encasing the bodies of the dead in this graveyard was a gateway into the Leviathan's realm. That's where she needed to go, that's where Bo was.

Kenzi took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Here goes nothing." She took a hesitant step, anticipating the freefall she was sure was to come. After a second, she realized the ground was still solid beneath her feet. She cracked one eye open, half expecting to have been teleported into the Leviathan's world. Instead, all she saw were headstones, dirt, and trees. She huffed, "seriously?! Stupid fae magics," she took a few extra steps forward for good measure, "never working when they're supposed- oh shit!" Kenzi yelled the last part as she felt herself being pulled under.

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><p>Tamsin's fist collided with the metal body of her now useless car leaving a large dent in its surface. She gritted her teeth as she slammed her hand into it again. She growled in frustration at Kenzi, at Bo, and at the situation she found herself in, but mostly it was directed at herself. She crossed her arms, resting them against the hood of the car. She leaned her head on them, panting from her release of anger. How could she have been so stupid?! She replayed the moment over and over again, the moment she faced off with Kenzi in Massimo's lair, the moment all of this should have ended. She was going to use her power of doubt on the girl to get her to end this reckless emotion-driven suicide mission of hers. But as she stared into the strong, determined ice blue eyes she knew so well, eyes that held so much love for the valkyrie, she hesitated. For one miniscule second, she hesitated, and that was all it took for Kenzi to gain the upper hand and run off. She had never hesitated about her using her power on anyone before, in any of her lifetimes. A valkyrie was supposed to be strong and confident. For centuries she cast doubt over millions of people, fae and human alike, without a second thought. Hell, she didn't even falter when she used her power against Dyson, her own partner, when she busted Bo out of the Dal after the others locked her up. But this was different, this was Kenzi, this was her moms, the first person who truly loved her and accepted her. How could she use her power on Kenzi? She didn't think she could stand to watch the strong-willed Russian doubt herself and her beliefs. She would have been confused, questioning herself, her morals, her values, everything she stands for, everything that makes her Kenzi.<p>

She still should have done it. If she had used her power, Kenzi would be here right now, safe. She wouldn't be off risking her life to save Bo's. The doubt would have worn off eventually; it would have been a small price to pay for the girl's safety. It all came down to that one crucial second, the difference between life and death. But a new argument waged in her mind that she had never had to consider before she met her friends, the difference between right and wrong. Would it have been wrong to use her powers on someone she loves? Or would it have been right if it meant saving her life? If she had, she may have lost Kenzi's trust, and the petite woman definitely would have been furious with her. But she would have gotten over it in time, and she would be alive to be pissed off at Tamsin. Acacia's words echoed in her mind, _"love will get you killed."_ Maybe love was the weakness her mentor thought it to be. Maybe it made you do stupid things, like jumping in front of a bullet. Maybe it meant she would get killed, but she would rather die for those she loved than live knowing she did nothing to stop it.

She abruptly pushed off the car with renewed vigor. She pulled her cell phone out, her fingers expertly finding the correct buttons. It rang several times as she held the device to her ear before she was greeted with an anxious voice, "Tamsin?! Where are you? Where's Kenzi? Is she okay?" Dyson's rapid fire questions conveyed just how worried he was.

"Slow your roll wolf," Tamsin said, trying to sort out the numerous questions directed at her while also subconsciously using a Kenzi-like phrase she had picked up from the human during her rebirth. "Kenzi is alive," she answered first, knowing that this was the most important fact Dyson needed to hear. "I found her at Massimo's current hideout in an abandoned warehouse but she took off again."

"You let her get away?!" Dyson growled through the line. "How could you let her slip through your fingers?! You should have done whatever you had to do to catch her, to keep her from getting herself killed! Damn it Tamsin!" Dyson cursed himself as well; he should have been there! Why didn't anyone tell him what was going on? Instead he had to hear it from a human friend of Kenzi's he had only met once before.

"I know what I should have done!" Tamsin roared into the phone, her hand clenching it tightly. "I don't need you to tell me how badly I fucked up when I'm already beating the shit out of myself for it!"

Dyson paused, never having heard Tamsin like this. His keen sense of hearing could pick up her heavy breaths, revealing just how upset this whole situation made her. He also detected something else in her voice he was not used to hearing: guilt. Guilt and regret. "Tamsin…"

"I hesitated," she admitted softly. "I…I couldn't do it Dyson. I know it was for her own good, I know it would have saved her life, but some part of me, some stupid stubborn part refused to let me use my power on her."

Dyson could tell how much this was eating her up inside. He instantly regretted his initial outburst. "Tamsin, this isn't your fault."

Tamsin let out a humorless laugh, "Yeah Dyson, it kind of is. If I had cast doubt on Kenzi, she would be here right now, not running off to god knows where." She looked up to the skies, as if searching for an answer from Odin himself, "why couldn't I use my power against her?"

Instead of a God responding, she heard her friend's compassionate voice in her ear, "because you care about us. You care about who you hurt and how it affects them. You care about Kenzi."

"Well I clearly remember not having any second thoughts when I used my power on you," Tamsin shot back, not out of malice, but out of genuine confusion.

"Oh trust me, I clearly remember that as well," Dyson chuckled. "But that was in your previous life, not this one."

"What difference does that make?" Tamsin huffed, not sure where this was heading.

Dyson smiled, "it makes all the difference partner. You're different. You didn't grow up on the battlefield, or alone in the woods. Kenzi raised you, taught you about love, friendship, and family. You couldn't hurt her because Kenzi is a part of you. She's a part of all of us. We're your family Tamsin, and whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us."

Tamsin didn't respond, uncomfortable with the emotional turn this conversation had taken, although it did give her a lot to consider. She had never felt the urge to protect anyone besides herself until she met Bo and her group. Now her valkyrie would rip anyone to shreds who even dared to touch her newfound family. Yet somehow, this urge was even stronger with Kenzi. It could be because Kenzi is human and cannot protect herself like most of the others can, or it could be that she's the youngest out of them all, or it could be because Kenzi took the reborn fae in when she had no reason to, or it could be because Kenzi showed Tamsin a love and tenderness no one else ever had. Either way, Tamsin couldn't hurt Kenzi, no matter how justified she believed her actions to be.

Dyson startled the blonde out of her thoughts, "I also remember why you used your power on me."

Tamsin shifted her weight to her other foot. "I don't even know why I did it."

"You did it to save Kenzi," he said simply, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

The realization slammed into Tamsin like a ton of bricks. Yes she cast doubt on Dyson in order to get Bo and herself out of the Dal, but the whole reason for breaking out of the pub was to go save Kenzi from Inari. This was in her past life, only a few weeks after meeting Bo and the others. She didn't know Kenzi, she had never even talked to her. So why would she have cared what happened to a common human she had no attachment to? Kenzi was a nobody, she only registered on the detective's radar because she was Bo's pet. Humans weren't worth her time. But if that was the case, how did she notice that Inari wasn't the real Kenzi? None of her so-called friends had noticed, except Bo that is. Bo knew Kenzi better than anyone so of course she would notice if her best friend was suddenly acting differently. If Tamsin truly didn't care, how did she figure out Inari wasn't Kenzi after only a few observations and a short conversation with her? Unless she actually did care, even back then, but she just refused to acknowledge it. Did her valkyrie somehow know how important that human girl would become to her? Why else would she go through the trouble of breaking Bo out of her cell, letting Bo feed off of her, and risking her own life to save a human she barely knew? She couldn't figure out a reason her former self would have done any of these things. Normally she would have just sat back and watched everything unfold. After all, it wasn't her problem, so why should she help? Yet she had made it her problem. She had intentionally inserted herself into the situation and offered help to Bo, a person she had despised. A person had been trying to lock up since the two had met, and once the succubus was finally behind bars, Tamsin had busted her out. Tamsin's actions had even confused herself. She had felt a pull to find Kenzi that she couldn't explain. The only answer she could come up with was that even then, Kenzi meant something to her. She just didn't realize how much.

She sighed, mulling over everything in her head. She had to push those thoughts aside for now. "I need your help to save her again."

"Anything you need," he promised. "Do you know where she's headed?"

"She's gone to try to get Bo back. She is going to face the Leviathan."

Dyson balled his fingers into a fist, swearing under his breath. "You can't just get someone back from the Leviathan, there's always a price!"

"Like with Hale," Tamsin agreed.

"Exactly," Dyson said, revealing that he had indeed been filled in on what had happened in his absence.

"I need to know where the Leviathan's graveyard is, the one you and Lauren found when you went to help Bo."

"Where are you now? I can give you directions."

"No need," Tamsin smirked. "Just give me a location and I'm already there," she said, hinting at her new valkyrie method of travel. She had been worried about using her teleportation earlier because she didn't know where Kenzi or Massimo were; the more times she teleported, the more energy she expended. But this time she knew where Kenzi was going. Speed was going to play a major factor in how this mission ended.

"It's in Lakeview Forest, about 8 miles northeast of the lake."

"Thanks," Tamsin answered, her wings already bursting forth from her shoulder blades.

"Go to her," Dyson urged, carefully omitting 'before it's too late' from the end of that sentence. "I'm at the clubhouse. Hale and I are leaving now; we'll meet you there."

"Okay," she acknowledged.

"And Tamsin? Kenzi's not the only one I'm worried about. Be careful," he added, knowing the Nordic warrior would do anything to save the young human they've all grown to love.

"Careful is my middle name," she responded with a hint of humor in her voice.

Dyson shook his head, "and all these years I thought it was 'Bitch.'"

She shrugged before realizing Dyson couldn't see her. "Eh, I'm a careful bitch. See you soon dog breath." She replaced her phone in her pocket, her eyes darkening as her wings extended. Her body dissipated into thin air, surrounded in a swirl of gold and white.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I had this chapter almost finished and then my laptop refused to work anymore. I stupidly didn't have anything backed up (I tried once, but it didn't work right and after that, I forgot). I tried to fix it through troubleshooting but when that didn't work, I took it in to be fixed by a professional. I told him to call me before he did anything because I need to know a price estimate because I don't have much money. A few days later, I received a phone call from them telling me that whatever virus had attacked my computer had corrupted and wrote over all of my files, every. single. one. All of my pictures, all of my work documents, all of my stories...gone. The only way to use my computer was to reformat it. After I finished having my mini meltdown over the news, we discussed it further. I was very persistent in getting those files back somehow, even if I had to take it to someone else. The file names still existed, but they all said 0KB for the size, meaning there was nothing in the actual file. He got back to work on it to try a few other things. It took a few weeks, but by some miracle he was able to save almost everything. I'll spare you the rest of the details, but I'm SO freaking happy to have my laptop back! Unfortunately it also set me back almost $400, but it's worth it if I get to keep my files. I had to choose whether to get my laptop fixed, or my car fixed. Well, I guess by now you guys have figured out which one I chose. I'm pretty sure in this instance I have my priorities a bit mixed up, but I'm sure you all are happy with my choice since you get a new chapter sooner ;) I was kicking myself for not posting this chapter the day before my computer keeled over; it was basically done except I wanted to proof read it one more time (which of course never happened since it wouldn't turn back on). So I'm posting this now, just incase. I am already working on the next chapter, just need to work out a few of the details in order to proceed with the story line. Thank you all for your patience.

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><p>CHAPTER 9<p>

Kenzi fell through the grave landing hard, the rocky ground doing nothing to ease her fall. She groaned, pushing up off of the ground to a standing position. She dusted herself off, grumbling sarcastically, "Great job Kenzi, amazing entrance. I'm sure you looked very intimidating as you fell on your ass!" She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She sighed loudly, "again? I'm getting really sick of caves!" First it was the kappa, then Inari the 'cray cray' kitsune, then the Una Mens, then Massimo, and now the Leviathan too?! The fae really needed to get away from these cliché hideouts.

She noticed there were multiple tunnels leading in different directions. "Eenie, meenie, miney, mo," Kenzi's outstretched hand landed on one of the various tunnels to her right. "Okay then, mo it is," she whispered, walking cautiously through the enclosed space. After a few minutes, it let out into another large room like the one she started in causing her to wonder if each grave sent the person seeking entrance to a separate area of the cave. "I better not be going in circles." She chose another tunnel at random. It would be so easy to get lost in a maze like this. The young woman's feet stepped carefully across the uneven ground. Again, the tunnel led her to another empty area of the monstrous cave. "Ugh, this is like Labyrinth minus David Bowie." She was about to choose another path to take when she noticed some sand trickling down the wall next to her. Puzzled, she inspected it closer when a small rock hit her in the head. "Ow," she rubbed her head, more annoyed than hurt. Her eyes followed the trail of sand up, immediately noticing a figure scaling the wall about fifteen feet up. All she could see from this angle was the person's butt and legs. She snorted at the sight, she would know that ass anywhere.

The climber let out a yelp as a rock wiggled loose under the weight applied to it. Bo crashed into the unforgiving earth landing on her back, groaning as she did so. Kenzi leaned over into Bo's line of sight, her smirk matching the twinkle in her eyes, "well, at least I'm not the only one," she said, referring to Bo's unceremonious entrance.

Bo's grimace of pain disappeared instantly as she focused on the familiar face above her, raven hair cascading over the girl's shoulders. "Kenzi?" she wheezed, her lungs still struggling to draw a breath after her fall.

"The one and only," Kenzi replied, her hand reaching down to grasp Bo's, pulling the older woman to her feet.

Bo's eyes grew wide, her head shaking back and forth in disbelief. "No, no you can't be here," she whispered. The Leviathan's words resounded in her mind, taunting her of Kenzi's impending doom. Kenzi had been fighting Massimo alone and now she was here in the keeper's realm. Her voice grew louder as tears flooded her brown orbs. "This wasn't supposed to happen, it wasn't supposed to end like this!"

Kenzi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was Bo referring to her sacrifice to save Hale's life? Or maybe she was talking about their argument? "Bo, babe," she gripped Bo's forearms to get her attention. "You need to elaborate a little more for the audience at home. What's going through that mind of yours?"

Twin tears simultaneously ran down the succubus' face. "It's all my fault. I was just trying to protect you, to make things right." She swallowed the lump in throat.

Kenzi gave Bo's arms a gentle squeeze, "you're still not making sense. What's your fault?"

"You were never supposed to go after Massimo. They should have protected you! _I_ couldn't protect you…" Bo's hand cupped Kenzi's cheek. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have been there for Hale, I should have been there for you! If I was, then you'd still be alive right now," she sobbed.

All of the pieces of the puzzle instantly connected in Kenzi's mind, focusing on one key phrase. "Whoa whoa, back it up there. I'm not dead."

Bo frowned sadly, believing Kenzi didn't even realize she was dead yet. "Massimo killed you."

"Psshhhtt, like that sack of shit could kill me. Massimo didn't kill me, _I_ killed _him_," Kenzi corrected her. Bo shook her head back and forth in protest. "Bo, listen to me, you know I wouldn't lie to you." Kenzi grabbed the succubus' hand, placing it over her chest. "Do you feel that?"

A steady rhythm pounded beneath Bo's palm. Clarity settled in her watery eyes, her mouth dropping open in astonishment. "Your heart is beating," she said breathlessly. A broad smile spread across her face. "You really are alive!" At that moment, the constant thump of Kenzi's heart under Bo's hand was the best thing she had ever felt. The older woman quickly pulled Kenzi in for a tight hug, her other hand tangling in her best friend's hair. "Oh god, I was so scared when the Leviathan told me you were facing off with Massimo," she confessed. "I was stuck down here, there was nothing I could do to help you."

"It's okay," Kenzi whispered, rubbing the fae's back soothingly. "_I'm_ okay. I won."

Bo leaned back, looking into ice blue orbs. As relieved as she was to know that Kenzi still belonged to the world of the living, she couldn't stop the concern from entering her mind at the simple words 'I won.' Sure Kenzi had helped Bo fight the fae before, even killed a few here and there, but that was always in self-defense. Never had she actively sought out someone with the intention of murdering them, never had she sought revenge like this. And against a human no less. Killing someone in cold blood went against everything she knew about Kenzi. She feared what the long term consequences of Kenzi's actions would be and how they would affect her. Kenzi has a big heart and a gentle soul, despite all of her talk and bravado. "How?" Bo questioned hesitantly, both needing to know the answer and not wanting to hear it at the same time. "What did you do?"

Kenzi stiffened slightly in Bo's grasp, but didn't skip a beat as she responded, "let's save that convo for later okay? First we need to bust you outta this joint. Where's the exit door to this hell hole?"

Bo pulled away. Her eyes shifted downward, all of the happiness that filled them a moment ago vanished. "Kenz, I can't go back."

The Russian froze, never having expected those words to come out of her best friend's mouth. "What?" she smiled in a mixture of shock and disbelief. Her face fell when Bo didn't answer right away. "No. I came here to get you and now we're going home," she said adamantly.

"Kenzi-" Bo tried again, but didn't get very far before Kenzi cut her off.

Kenzi didn't want to hear Bo's excuses for remaining in Irkalla, for leaving her. "Yeah well, I hope you didn't pay a lot for this vacation rental cause your trip is about to be cut short," she joked but it fell flat, her automatic defensive mechanisms kicking in.

Bo frowned at Kenzi's antics, knowing how much the young woman was freaking out on the inside. She had to make her listen, make her understand. "But-"

"Ya know what?" Kenzi asked, her actions becoming more animated the more upset she got. "I got a much better idea for a vacation that has lots of booze for me and chicas for my hot mami!" She grabbed Bo's hand, trying to pull the taller woman along with her.

Bo wouldn't budge, instead holding onto Kenzi's hand tightly to stop her. The only way she could get Kenzi to hear her was to be louder than the human's anxious ramblings. "If I leave, Hale dies!" she shouted, realizing how insensitive she must sound but being left with no other choice.

Kenzi's movements halted, her breaths shallow. No, not this again. _Never_ this again. She needed both Hale and Bo in her life, couldn't they see that?! The two were not interchangeable. Her eyes swelled with unshed tears. She was so sick of crying.

Bo could feel the panic coming off of her best friend in waves. She hated doing this to her, but Kenzi needed to know the truth. Bo wasn't going to be selfish anymore. "If I leave this realm, it will break the deal I made with the Leviathan and she will take Hale's soul back," she admitted softly now that she had Kenzi's full attention.

Kenzi bit the inside of her cheek to keep from losing it. "I didn't come all this way just to leave you here," she managed to say.

Bo held both of Kenzi's hands, and her gaze. "But you have to."

Kenzi gritted her teeth, ripping out of Bo's grasp. "No god damn it! No fucking way!" Anger took over; anger at the situation they were in and anger at Bo for not wanting to go home, for not wanting to be with her anymore. "You always defy fae laws and now is the time you choose to be miss goody-two-shoes and obey them?!"

"This is a deal I can't get out of! I'm doing this for you!" she tried to get Kenzi to see reason.

"No! If you were listening to a fucking word I've said then you'd know that this isn't what I want! I want you to come home, not stay in the land of the dead!" her chest heaved.

"I'm doing this so you can have the love of your life back! So he can give you the love and happiness you deserve! He can take care of you in ways I never can. You need him, not me" Bo poured her heart out, saying more than she had meant to.

Kenzi shook her head. "That's where you're wrong Bo. No offense, but you have no idea what I need. If you did, you would know that I need you both. I need my fiancé, but I also need my sister. You think you can't take care of me? You've saved my life more times than I can count. And yes, while some of those times were technically your fault, you've always come through for me in the end. You took me off the streets, gave me a home, food, clothes, safety…you gave me a family, something I haven't known since I was a little kid. The day we met, you killed a rapist just to save me, a stranger. Without you, I don't know where I'd be." She threw her hands up in the air, "hell, I'd probably be dead in a ditch somewhere and no one would even know or care."

Bo pursed her lips, her head moving from side to side. "I wish I could go with you, back to the clubhouse, back to our lives and our friends…more than anything I wish that," emotion laced her voice. "But it's not possible. It's not that I don't want to go home, I do, but I can't ever leave Irkalla." She took a step towards Kenzi only to have the girl mirror her move backwards. Her heart clenched at the wall her best friend was putting up. "Please Kenzi, you have to understand," she begged. She didn't want to end things like this. The last time she had seen Kenzi they had fought. She wanted to replace that last memory with a better one, a good one. They both needed closure.

Kenzi looked off the side, refusing to meet the succubus' eyes. She couldn't deal with this. Her emotions were getting the best of her again. This was all too much.

Bo saw her opening and quickly swept up the anguished woman in her arms. Relief flooded her when Kenzi didn't try to push her away. Instead, Kenzi's hands came up to grab onto Bo tightly, never wanting to let go. Tears leaked out of the corners of her ice blue orbs. After what seemed like hours, she whispered with more strength, "I understand, but I won't accept it."

A voice spoke from the shadows, "that's your prerogative, but the succubus is bound to this plane for eternity."


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I had to rewrite part of this chapter because I didn't like the way it flowed, but here it is! This story was only supposed to be about 6 chapters long, but per usual my muse had other ideas and who am I to say no to my muse? I like letting stories develop on their own and if I have an idea that I think will enhance it, I'm going to use it. That being said, I am estimating that this story is going to be 13 chapters long, so we're nearing the end. Some of you may be sad to see it end, others will probably be happy because it means I have time to work on my other fics. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed it. We still have a few chapters left to go! Thank you all for your continued support. Words can't express how much it means to me.

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><p><em>Previously: <em>

_A voice spoke from the shadows, "that's your prerogative, but the succubus is bound to this plane for eternity."_

**CHAPTER 10**

Bo and Kenzi turned towards where the sound originated, but they did not break their embrace. If anything, Bo's hold on Kenzi tightened. The Leviathan had talked about Kenzi multiple times now, and Bo had no intention of ever letting the old hag get her hands on the person she held most dear.

The keeper craned her neck as she seemed to float out of the dark recesses of the cavern. "Well well, if it isn't the brave little human." Her eyes roamed Kenzi's figure.

Bo pushed Kenzi behind her protectively as the other fae came closer. "Send her back. She's of no use to you."

A sinister smile crept across the Leviathan's mouth, "au contraire, I have many uses for her."

The succubus growled angrily, her electric blue eyes blazing. "She wasn't part of the deal! I did this for her, to send Hale back to her!"

"Exactly!" the Leviathan countered. "The deal was you trade yourself for the siren's life. You never mentioned the human. She was never part of the deal, therefore she is fair game."

Kenzi huffed, "can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?!"

The Leviathan completely ignored Kenzi, acting as if the woman had never spoken at all. "She entered into my realm of her own volition, without my permission. Everything in Irkalla belongs to me. The human is now mine to do with as I please."

Kenzi stepped out from behind Bo, "I'd like to see you try bitch." The disrespectful name seemed to have done its job and finally drawn the robed fae's attention to her.

"Kenzi!" Bo whispered harshly to her friend, warning her not to make things worse for herself. She attempted to shield Kenzi once more from Levi's wrath, but Kenzi refused to cower, not after everything she'd been through.

"No," she said to Bo, before addressing the keeper, "I'm done hiding. I'm not letting bigoted fae assholes dictate how I live my life. Not anymore." The venom that dripped from her voice matched her piercing glare. "You all think you're entitled to everything, that the whole frickin world revolves around your almighty selves."

"Big talk from a powerless pet," the Leviathan sneered.

"I'm nobody's pet. I am my own person, not some object to be bought, sold, and traded. Although I'm sure I'd be a hot commodity," Kenzi's sarcasm leaked into her tirade. "Truth is, none of you could handle all of this," she gestured to herself.

Bo reached for Kenzi again, but the girl just absentmindedly batted her hand away, her attention solely on the Leviathan.

The tip of the keeper's staff began to glow, "I could rip your soul from your body right now and there's nothing you could do about it."

"Whoa, whoa!" Bo jumped between the two, her arms held up towards each of them. She knew exactly what that staff could do. "Let's not do anything drastic!" Her heart and mind raced, trying to come up with a way to save Kenzi. She had already traded herself to the Leviathan, so what leverage did she have left?

Kenzi didn't even flinch at the fae's threats. "I already gave you a soul."

The Leviathan's staff returned to its dull color. "Ah yes," she smiled. "The druid. I was denied his soul twice before, so I feel obliged to thank you for your part in finally delivering him to me. I must admit, I was expecting your soul, not his. It is impressive that you managed to best someone who, while still human, was obviously superior to yourself."

Kenzi quirked an eyebrow at the backhanded compliment, "thanks, I guess."

Levi lifted her head, "the druid's lack of respect for life and death infuriated me as he continuously escaped death and my clutches. In return for sending his soul to me, I shall hear you out."

The younger woman was a little taken aback by the fae showing her any type of respect. "Okay, then I'll make this short and simple. Bo returns to the land of the living."

"If the succubus is sent back to your realm then she'll be breaking the terms of her deal and your precious siren will die where he stands," the keeper answered calmly, knowing she had the upper hand. "If Bo reneges on her deal, then his fate she shall seal."

Kenzi paused, the rhyme reminding her of a conversation she had with Bo regarding the keeper and her love of riddles, and how ultimately, it was her undoing. She needed to buy herself some time while she devised a plan. "Fine, then new deal. Bo and Hale both get to live happily ever after on Earth. The end."

The Leviathan pretended to ponder this for a moment before abruptly saying, "No. I have heard what you have to say. My debt has been repaid," she said dismissively. "For your part in Massimo's death, I shall return you to the world above."

Bo breathed a sigh of relief, but it caught in her throat as she distinctively heard Kenzi shout, "no! I'm not done with you."

Bo grabbed onto her friend's arm, "Kenzi, don't push your luck! Just go home, I'll be alright."

The brunette's pleas only further ignited Kenzi's need to free her. She shook off the other woman's hold on her, watching the Leviathan raise her staff once more. "Send me back and you'll never get the Wanderer's mark!" she blurted in a last ditch attempt to stay in Irkalla.

Bo froze, her jaw dropping slightly in shock. She had never mentioned the mark to her.

Kenzi's outburst seemed to work as the Leviathan halted her movements, her interest piqued. "And what do you know of such matters?"

Kenzi knew more than she let on. She had once told Dyson that she sees more than anyone thinks because everyone is always focused on Bo. If they only knew just how true that was. People always underestimated her, fae and human alike. "I know that you want Bo because you believe she has the Wanderer's mark imprinted on her."

The keeper easily picked up on Kenzi's intonation, "_believe_?" she repeated. "I know she has it."

"Now that is where you are wrong my sun-deprived friend," she told the pale fae.

Bo's gaze shifted between the two, trying to figure out what Kenzi's angle was. She knew she had the Wanderer's mark, so what was Kenzi rambling about? She had the luminescent handprint to prove it.

The Leviathan decided to indulge in the human's ramblings. She waved her hand, urging Kenzi to continue.

"Yes the handprint was put on Bo by the Wanderer, aka Rainer, but the mark itself was not made by him. Rainer has the exact same handprint on his chest which he got from Bo." The Leviathan's eyebrows furrowed. Kenzi began to pace as she explained what she had deduced from what people have told her and what she'd discovered on her own. "Now you may ask, 'how could Bo place the Wanderer's mark on the Wanderer?' My point exactly, she can't. She's a succubus; the only marks she leaves are hickeys."

"Okay," the Leviathan drawled out. "So if I was to go along with this theory of yours, then what is it?"

"Good question my dear Watson, one that actually took me a while to figure out as well. The exact same mark came from both Bo and Rainer, two completely different fae with unrelated powers and who didn't know each other before they met on Thomas the Train's evil twin. Therefore the question is not what is it, but rather where did it come from. Someone used Bo and Rainer to mark them for his own evil gain." Kenzi's eyes softened a bit as they landed on Bo's confused face, "they were just pawns in his game. I'm sorry," she said earnestly, her apology directed towards her best friend.

"Who is this 'he' you speak of?" the keeper demanded, her patience wearing thin.

Kenzi spoke to the Leviathan, but her emotion-filled eyes never left the succubus', "Bo's father."

Bo took a deep shuddering breath at the realization. "But…how, why?" she asked, her thoughts jumbled. One question continuously popped into the forefront of her mind, "how do you know it's him?"

"I did some research of my own," she answered. "I had a lot of time on my hands when you shut me out." She couldn't keep the bitterness from edging its way into her voice. "Lauren and I became pretty close. It's a shame you missed it."

"Kenz…"

"Later," Kenzi quickly cut her off. Bo nodded in response, unable to do anything else at the moment. There were a lot of things that needed to be said, but those conversations would have to wait.

"The princess' father…" Levi mused. "What use is this mark?"

"From what I know, it's his key to coming into our world. He's not from our realm and he's using his daughter to anchor himself to ours. Both Rainer and Bo are connected to him in some way, so he used that connection to channel his power into those marks at the precise time that they put their hands on each other's chests. He's been planning this from day one, molding our fates to his liking. He's been the one pulling the strings all these years," she shook her head. "He killed Hale," she choked. "He ordered Tamsin to bring Bo in, and when she didn't, he sent Massimo to help. He sent that scumbag into our lives just so his fucking prophecy could be fulfilled!" she screamed, a few rogue tears trailing down her porcelain skin.

Bo was lost in a downward spiral, consumed by her own revelations, but hearing Kenzi's anguish was enough to bring her back to reality. She focused all of her energy on Kenzi which allowed her to stay grounded. Even now, when all she wanted to do was help Kenzi, Kenzi was helping her. She stepped next to her sister, sliding her hand into Kenzi's. The younger woman laced their fingers together, squeezing tightly, gaining strength from Bo's support.

"Who is this fae who seeks entrance into your world?" the keeper of Irkalla asked.

Kenzi took a deep breath, refusing to show any weakness in front of her current enemy. "I'm not sure exactly, but Trick has this old drawing of a horse with a mane and tail made of flames."

"_From the depths of darkness he shall rise from the flames' glow, Hel on Earth he shall bestow. The flames of war spread consuming all, to his almighty power both humans and fae shall fall. Fire, Famine, Fear. Doom, Destruction, Death._" The Leviathan recited word for word, her eyes growing wide. "The mark of the Pyrippus." A sudden gleeful smile crossed her face before bursting into joyous laughter.

The Leviathan's foreboding words and cackling did nothing to ease the growing fear inside Bo and Kenzi. They shared a worried look before staring at the mad woman who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.

"I never thought you'd be happy to learn that Bo doesn't carry the Wanderer's mark," Kenzi said cautiously.

"No mortal, I expect you wouldn't." She tapped her staff on the ground twice, the air above them swirling into a mist, forming foggy images. Orange and red danced among dark demonic figures. Horrified and pain-filled cries echoed in the barren cave. People fell to the ground, a frightening mixture of the fire's light and the demon's darkness consuming them. "Am I happy that I will not gain the Wanderer's mark? No. But this," she gestured around them wildly to the chaos happening over their heads. "This is so much better. Your world shall fall to his power, and all of the tortured souls he claims will be mine."

Bo and Kenzi spun around, staring at the terrifying future that awaited them. The screams of sheer terror pierced their ears. "No," Bo said, her grip on Kenzi tightening immensely. "I won't allow it."

Levi shook her head, as if schooling a young child. "My dear, you won't have a choice. What the master wants, the master gets." The hazy air settled down between them, the fog shifting to form familiar figures. "He will have _them_," she whispered. A translucent image of Tamsin lay haphazardly on the ground in a pool blood, her broken wings stained crimson under her, her own sword protruding from her stomach. Trick was slumped against a wall, pale and lifeless, all of the blood drained out of him as a demon collected it in jars from the Blood King's wrists. Dyson limped forward in his wolf form, making one last weak effort to defend his friends and family as he lunged for the enemy. The opposing fae didn't hesitate as he swung his sword down, decapitating the shifter. His body transformed back into his human self before he hit the ground. Bo jumped backwards into Kenzi as Dyson's severed head rolled to her feet, his dull amber eyes looking up at her. Lauren stood her ground despite the tremors that shook her body. A shadowy hand stretched out towards her. Thick and sticky blood oozed rapidly from her eyes, ears and mouth. She choked on it, her hands instinctively flying to her throat. Blood sputtered from her mouth as she desperately tried to draw in a breath, but in the end, she succumbed to the darkness.

Tears were already streaming uncontrollably down Bo's cheeks at seeing her worst fears come to life. Then she saw the image that made her heart stop. A wispy see-through version of Kenzi stood in front of her protectively, Geraldine raised in defiance. "No," Bo breathed. Her eyes frantically scanned the area. The Pyrippus appeared a few yards ahead of Kenzi. Fire raced out from his body in arcs, all heading towards Kenzi. "Stop!" Bo screamed, wanting nothing more than to end this nightmare. The blazing flames encircled Kenzi, spinning in a vortex around her. Kenzi's blood curdling scream cut straight through her heart. The fire suddenly imploded, revealing a badly burned figure stumbling forward. She was almost unrecognizable, a walking corpse. The flames continued to dance along her skin, leaving blisters, blackened skin, and gaping open wounds along what was left of her flesh. The Pyrippus watched her valiant efforts as she struggled to move towards him, dragging her sword along beside her. His unforgiving eyes watched her die a slow agonizing death, watching as his daughter's humanity died with this weak girl. Kenzi raised her sword as far as she could only to collapse mere feet in front of the demonic horse. "NO!" Bo tried to run to her fallen friend, but the real Kenzi quickly engulfed her in a hug.

"Bo! It's not real! It's not real!" she yelled to her friend over the sounds of the dead and dying. "We're all okay. I'm right here, I'm alive!" Bo's watery eyes were still fixated on the spot where the translucent body of Kenzi lay. The real Kenzi grabbed Bo's face roughly, redirecting her gaze. "Bo, look at me! Look at me okay? I'm right here with you. That ghostly thing isn't me." Her words still couldn't reach Bo. She placed Bo's hand over her heart. "I'm alive, remember? Come back to me Bo. I'm right here and I need you, I need you with me." Bo's dazed brown eyes shifted to her hand over Kenzi's heart before returning to her best friend's face. The steady thumping slowly brought her back to reality, as it had only moments earlier. Bo blinked a few times. A half smile appeared on Kenzi's face as she gently cupped Bo's face with one hand, the other still firmly holding Bo's hand to her chest. Kenzi caressed Bo's cheek lovingly, wiping away a few stray tears in the process. "There you are." Bo drew in a shaky breath, leaning into the touch.

The keeper banged her staff on the ground twice, the images displayed in the air all racing back into the scepter's tip. The two other women jumped at the abrupt noise, turning to face the Leviathan.

"Was that really necessary?!" Kenzi hissed angrily, still half embracing Bo in order to calm her down.

"You seem to know nothing of the Pyrippus or his power so I thought I would enlighten you by showing you the future," the keeper answered nonchalantly, as if all of the chaos that had surrounded them moments ago had never existed.

"No," Bo muttered, snapping out of her stupor. Her voice gained strength and conviction as she continued, "that's not our future. I won't let it happen."

"It is one possible future of many, but it is also the most likely one. While I know you will futilely try to fight him, your efforts will be in vain."

"Okay so now that you've showed us our Final Destination deaths, can we get back to oh I don't know, getting the hell out of here?!" Kenzi shouted, eager to change the subject and get Bo away from this whack job.

"Ah yes, that," the older fae seemed to be bored by the topic.

"All of this nonsense was to prove that Bo doesn't have the Wanderer's mark, so you have no use for her. You don't need her," Kenzi reasoned.

"So it would seem. She is of more use to me now alive than dead," she smiled, hinting at Bo's role in bringing her father into their world. "She may go." In all honesty, the keeper couldn't wait to get rid of Bo. The Leviathan only wanted her for the Wanderer's mark, and since Bo didn't have it, there was no need for her to put up with the succubus' antics any longer. She had to endure the woman's stubbornness, her sarcasm, her rude behavior, and her constant self-righteous tirades all while trying to figure out a way to separate the mark from Bo's body and soul. She would be glad when her caves returned to being a place of quiet solitude.

Kenzi faltered at the sudden change, genuinely surprised, "really?" She squinted her eyes, already knowing the fae too well to know it would be that easy. "What's the catch?"

"Our original dilemma stills stands: I need a replacement soul for the siren's soul. If either you or Bo leaves here alone, he shall remain on Earth. If you both leave Irkalla, then his soul will be returned to me. The balance of life and death must be maintained."

"So what you're saying is that Bo can go back, but in order for Hale to live, I have to stay," Kenzi filled in the blanks. Her face remained stoic; after all, she had assumed this was how things would end all along.

"Precisely," the keeper smiled.

"What?!" Bo asked, her fear escalating again rapidly. "No! Kenzi don't listen to her!" She turned to the Leviathan, "I'll stay!"

Kenzi had one last trick up her sleeve, "hey Riddler, I got another idea."

The Leviathan chuckled, "you, a human, want to challenge _me_ to a game of riddles?"

"Yes," Kenzi answered confidently.

The keeper smiled, figuring she had already won before the game even began. "Name your terms."

"This whole trading my soul for Bo, Bo for Hale, etcetera, it's all over the fact that you need to maintain balance between life and death right? Well I already gave you Massimo's soul. And in return you offered to just 'hear me out?!' That is not a fair trade, it's not 'maintaining balance,' and you know it! So here's what I propose: if I win, Hale gets to keep his soul and Bo and I return to our world."

"And if I win?" the Leviathan encouraged Kenzi to continue, knowing what was coming.

Kenzi took a deep breath, but her demeanor didn't betray any weakness. She lifted her chin up high, "if you win, you get to keep my soul."

Bo whipped her head around, eyes wide as she stared at Kenzi in shock, her heart plummeting.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I posted why it's been so long between updates on one of my other fics, so in short I've had my computer crash twice, my mom had surgery, Microsoft Word stopped working, I got whiplash in a car accident, have my own health issues, and now I'm taking care of few family matters. But I _will not_ give up writing, even if it takes me a long time. I'm also still working on Tortura incase anyone is worried about that fic since it's been so long. I just felt bad for leaving you all hanging when we're at the climax of this story. Originally I was going to post this chapter much sooner, but the whole computer crashing twice thing ruined that. I also apologise in advance for leaving this chapter off on a cliffhanger. We have about two chapters left to this story (unless my muse gets out of control again). Enjoy and please review!

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><p><em>Previously: <em>

_Kenzi took a deep breath, but her demeanor didn't betray any weakness. She lifted her chin up high, "if you win, you get to keep my soul."_

_Bo whipped her head around, eyes wide as she stared at Kenzi in shock, her heart plummeting._

**CHAPTER 11**

"Then it is done," the Leviathan responded.

"No! I don't agree to this! I'm part of this deal and I never agreed to be a part of it! Therefore it's null and void. Kenzi goes home, I stay in Irkalla," Bo demanded, trying to come up with any loophole she could to get Kenzi out of this predicament she had gotten herself into.

"The deal includes you, but it does not require your consent. My arrangement is with the human, and she has agreed. You will be sent back, the siren will remain where he is, and when I win, Kenzi stays with me," she explained, secretly enjoying the succubus' tribulation.

Bo turned back to Kenzi, changing her strategy. If the Leviathan wouldn't back out of the deal, then she had to make Kenzi see reason. "Kenzi, she loves riddles, this is her specialty. She'll win and I'll lose you forever! You can't do this!"

Kenzi shook her head sadly, "it's already been done."

Bo grabbed her by the shoulders, "no it's not. We're both still here. Tell her to call it off!" She shook Kenzi when the younger woman met her with silence. "Hale is waiting for you!" she exclaimed, using any leverage she had. "You can't leave him."

Kenzi pursed her lips, "I don't plan on leaving him… but if something goes wrong, he'll eventually accept it and move on," she replied.

"No he won't!" she shouted, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "…I won't," she confessed. "You can't sacrifice yourself for me, I won't allow it!"

"Like you did for me?" Kenzi asked.

Kenzi's response stopped Bo in her tracks. "I…yes."

Kenzi gripped Bo's forearms, "It's okay Bo. You're still needed. There's still so much good you can do, so many people you can help. You need to live."

"None of that matters without you," Bo spoke honestly, her voice cracking.

"Trick, Dyson, Lauren, Tamsin…they all need you."

"And _I_ need _you_. They need you too. So does Hale."

"Your life is more important than mine," Kenzi admitted out loud for the first time.

"What?" Bo asked, shocked Kenzi would say such a thing let alone think it.

Kenzi shrugged. "I'm just a human Bo. You will live for hundreds and hundreds of years, maybe even thousands, while my weak body will be six feet under before ever reaching the triple digits."

"You are not just a human, you never have been," Bo told her with conviction. "And the fact you can't see that, see how special you are, kills me inside," she choked, trying to hold back the inevitable tears. "I once told Tamsin that you are my heart. I wasn't lying. I can't live without you Kenz."

"Yes you can, and you will. This, this is the way it has to be. If I have to, I'll die so the two people I love the most can live," Kenzi explained calmly. The lack of emotion Kenzi displayed regarding her own life worried Bo.

"Your time is up," the keeper announced.

Bo focused her attention back on the person who controlled all of this, the one person who could put a stop to it. In a last ditch effort, she yelled, "Kenzi was wrong! It was just a made up story to get you to let me go. She would say anything to keep me safe! I do have the Wanderer's mark!"

"Your pet was right princess. I felt the aura of the Wanderer's soul within the mark, but now that I look deeper, I can detect the underlying unbridled power beneath it, the Pyrippus' power. You cannot barter your way out of this one."

"Bo," Kenzi said softly, glistening brown eyes meeting blue. "You need to let me go."

"No, I can't," Bo refused. "I'll never give up. I won't stop until you're home with me, with your family."

"Bo, this cycle of you sacrificing yourself for me, and me for you, it needs to stop. This is it, this is the end," Kenzi told her firmly.

"I can't accept that."

"But you have to. I'm so sorry. I love you Bo-Bo."

A sob escaped Bo's lips as uncontrollable tears poured down her face. This could be the last time she would ever hear Kenzi call her that name. "I love you too," Bo whispered, pulling Kenzi into a tight embrace. Her hands clasped around Kenzi, clenching her shirt. "I-" Bo was cut off as an invisible force pushed the two women away from each other, ripping Kenzi out of Bo's arms.

The Leviathan rolled her eyes. "Your goodbyes bore me. Let's get this over with." She advanced towards Kenzi. The Russian stood strong.

Bo looked up from her position on the ground, seeing the Leviathan approaching her friend. "No!" she shouted, pushing herself up to intercept Levi.

The keeper held up her hand towards Bo, "you are not involved in this, nor is your input wanted. If I recall correctly, you cheated last time. Time to go home."

Bo ran as fast as her feet would carry her. Red flame-like swirls surrounded her. She could feel her body growing lighter. She instantly recognized the sensation. "No! Kenzi!" she screamed, forcing herself to go faster.

Kenzi watched, relieved, as her best friend disappeared before she could reach them.

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><p>Blurry images spun around Bo until her feet hit the ground mid-run. She immediately stopped, looking at her surroundings: trees encircled the graveyard, birds chirped in the distance, and the clear blue sky seemed to be mocking her. "Oh no, no, no, no!" Her heart caught in her throat. She scrambled over to one of the many graves, running onto the gravesite's dirt. Nothing happened. "No, don't do this to me now! Come on!" she yelled, jumping up and down. "Take me back!" Tears stung her eyes, "God damn it!" She collapsed to her knees, diving her hands into the soil in desperation. She would get back to Irkalla one way or another. She dug as fast as she could. "You idiot!" she screamed, flinging the dirt off to the side. "You can't take on the frickin leader of the Underworld by yourself!" She cut her finger on a rock but she couldn't feel it over the emotional pain that threatened to overwhelm her. "You can't do this, you can't!" she sobbed.<p>

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><p>Tamsin landed amongst the trees, cursing loudly as she swatted at her jacket, heat emanating from it. "Fuck me!" She ripped the article of clothing from her body, throwing it on the ground. Seconds later, it erupted in fire. "What the…" As quickly as it had started, the flames extinguished, leaving only one small item left untouched in the ashes. Tamsin eyed it warily, picking up the small cloth. "Damn it!" she yelled, dropping the scalding object back to the ground. She shook her hand out in pain. The blonde grabbed a stick, "okay you little fucker." Carefully, she hooked the edge of the cloth onto the end of the stick, pulling the material back to reveal the Origin Seed, pulsating red as it had done the last time she tried to use her powers. "At least you didn't stop me this time," she said, referring to her power to move between planes. This seed had prevented her from stopping Kenzi from leaving Massimo's hideout. Even with the Una Mens dead, they still found a way to interfere in matters that did not concern them. She poked at it with the stick, watching as the wood disintegrated in her hands. "Interesting." She wiped off the remnants. She had to get going, but she couldn't just leave something this powerful and dangerous out here to be found by who knows what. "You're feisty, I can respect that. How about we call a truce?" The seed continued to glow. "Either that or I'll feed you to the first squirrel I see." The sphere slowly returned to a dull brown color. Tamsin hesitantly reached out, quickly taping it with her finger to test the temperature. Finding the item lukewarm, she picked it up, holding it between two fingers as she examined it. "Very interesting indeed." She pinched it harder, "and for the record, that was one of my favourite jackets." She pocketed the seed.<p>

Blonde hair blew in the breeze as she turned her head from side to side, looking around for any sign of the graveyard she was seeking. "I know you're around here somewhere." She tapped into her Valkyrie powers to lead her to the burial site, sensing the dead bodies. Her head snapped to the right. Feet pounded the ground as she sprinted in the direction her instincts led her.

A familiar scream broke through Tamsin's concentration. "Bo?" she questioned in disbelief, racing towards where the sound originated from. The Valkyrie saw a hunched over figure in front of a headstone. "Bo!" she called, unable to hide the happiness in her voice at seeing the person she thought was lost to her forever. The brunette didn't respond; she didn't even turn around. "Bo?" Tamsin repeated. She put her hand on the woman's shoulder, leaning down next to her as Bo frantically shoveled dirt aside with her bare hands, tears cascading down her face. Tamsin's brief moment of elation plummeted. "Where's Kenzi?" she asked, dreading the answer she would receive.

Bo halted her movements abruptly at hearing her best friend's name. Bo finally looked at the blonde beside her, acknowledging her presence. "Tamsin?" she asked. Her face crumpled at seeing the woman her best friend had raised, knowing how much her moms' absence would affect her. "Kenzi, she..." Bo shook her head, her hair swishing around her face. "She made a new deal." Bo didn't need to elaborate any further. Both women knew the lengths Kenzi would go to in order to protect her family. There was nothing she wouldn't do.

"Fuck!" Tamsin pounded her fist into the solid ground. She was too late.

Bo's hands dove back into the dirt, desperate to reach her friend. Tamsin frowned, "Bo." It was obvious the graves were no longer allowing anyone access to Irkalla. The Leviathan must have closed the portals to her realm, knowing how stubborn and determined the succubus was. "Bo," she tried again, reaching out to still Bo's hands with her own.

"No!" Bo pulled out of her grasp. "She's still down there Tamsin! I have to get back to her!" She continued digging, needing to do something, to take some kind of action. This was the only way she knew of to get to Irkalla. It had to work.

Twin tears slipped down Tamsin's cheeks. Kenzi was gone, and Bo was shattered. All of this nonsense started because of Massimo, because Tamsin disobeyed her employer's orders. She would never forgive herself for the death and destruction that she had unknowingly brought into Bo and Kenzi's lives. All she had wanted to do was protect her newfound family, and yet all she seemed to do was tear them apart. "I'm so sorry," Tamsin apologised softly.

* * *

><p>The Leviathan stared at Kenzi. The silence was unnerving to the Russian. "Okay, so who goes first? We flipping a coin?"<p>

The keeper titled her head. "You are lost. You come upon two unmarked doors," she began.

"Or you could just go first I guess. So much for hospitality," Kenzi mumbled under her breath.

"One door leads to the City of Truth, while the other will take you to the City of Lies. You can only ask one question in order to figure out which door leads to where. The door that leads to the City of Lies can only speak lies while the door that leads to the City of Truth can only speak the truth. You want to go to the City of Truth. What question do you ask in order to determine which door leads to the City of Truth?"

Kenzi blinked twice, taking in all of the information. Riddles always seemed to give her a worse headache than her hangovers. "Okay, one question, two doors. One door lies, the other tells the truth." She pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Maybe I should have finished school before I ran away," she muttered to herself.

"Time is ticking away, as is your life," Levi smiled.

Kenzi ignored the taunt, focusing instead on the riddle. What could she ask both doors in order to discover which door was which? She couldn't ask the doors which door they were, because both of them would give the same answer and she still wouldn't know which one was lying. Lying, the City of Lies. Maybe that was the key. Everyone is always so focused on the truth, that they often don't see the lies shrouding it. Growing up on the streets, picking pockets, grifting, they all allowed her to see things from a different perspective. So what question could she ask both doors to figure out which door led to the City of Truth and which door led to the City of Lies. It had to be a question she already knew the answer to, and a question they would both know the answer to as well. It had to be something where she could catch the door in a boldfaced lie.

Kenzi smirked confidently, "I would ask 'do both doors lead to the City of Truth?'"

The keeper's eyebrows furrowed, "what? No, that's not the right answer."

"Yes it is," Kenzi protested. "The right answer is the one that will get me to the correct answer, to the City of Truth. And that question will prove it. If the door answers 'no' then it is the door that leads to the City of Truth. If the door answers 'yes' then it is obviously lying since we already know that there is only one door that leads to each city. Therefore, it would lead to the City of Lies. Either way, I win, and I get to the City of Truth."

Levi opened her mouth to speak, closing it when no words came out. "But that's-"

"Not the answer you were looking for?" Kenzi finished for her. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I do things my own way."

The Leviathan gritted her teeth, realizing that even though this was not the answer she had in mind, it was still a correct answer that solved the riddle. She composed herself, "you are a clever girl. I can see why the succubus likes you." She watched the subtle reaction the human's body gave in reference to Bo. "No matter, it is your turn now."

"Alright Wicked Witch of the West, prepare yourself," Kenzi intertwined her fingers, stretching her arms out in front of her before resting them back at her sides. ""What's dark and dank, and midnight blue? That tells a lie that might be true. Steals from others, to it they do not belong. Puts on a front as if it were strong. But all it is, is truths untold. To be revealed by someone more bold. This thing that surrounds itself with faux power, does not realize it's its final hour. What am I?"

The keeper squinted her eyes, mumbling to herself as she walked off to contemplate the riddle. "Let's see," she turned back around. "I've got it! It's the sky, the sky is blue! It steals homes away with hurricanes and storms, and it sometimes lies about what the future weather may hold. But wait," she deflated a little, "it has real power, it's not fake." She stalked away again, her eyes shifting constantly. "The deep blue ocean? It can create tsunamis, and seem calm when it's not. But it has real power too." She grumbled her discontent. "What has faux power?" Her eyes grew wide, "but ah! It may have real power! If something believes it has power even when it doesn't, is this considered faux power? The power would seem real to the holder, so is it still fake when it's real to its owner? Or maybe it has real power, but believes it to be fake, therefore that's the faux aspect of it?"

"Geeze lady, you're making my head hurt and I already know the answer," Kenzi complained about the woman's crazed ramblings.

Levi disregarded the comment. "A blue whale? It's size gives it power but it doesn't realize the extent of it." She round on Kenzi, "or maybe you are trying to mislead me! Maybe it's not blue as in the color but blue as in depressed. In that case it would be a living thing. Unless it's an object that makes people feel sad?" She shook her staff in aggravation at Kenzi, "you're as tricky as that unaligned whore."

"Watch your mouth old hag," Kenzi hissed at her, automatically becoming defensive of her best friend.

"You're in no position to make threats you insolent child," the keeper rebuffed.

"Actually, I am. The rate you're going, I'm going to win this. So go ahead smarty pants, give me your answer," Kenzi folded her arms across her chest.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your soul from your body and watching you to rot for eternity," the Leviathan raised her upper lip, stepping closer to her prey.

"Big talk from someone who still hasn't figured out a little riddle. I'm waiting," Kenzi reminded her, not letting the powerful fae intimidate her.

"Fine, fine. I choose depression. It makes someone feel blue, it might be a lie or it might be true because it plays tricks with your mind, and it doesn't have real power because it's all in someone's mind!" the Leviathan smiled, believing she had figured out the riddle and bested the human.

"Nope," Kenzi pursed her lips, popping the 'p' in 'nope.'

The keeper looked taken aback, "what? My answer is sound!" she defended. "Just because it isn't the answer you were expecting doesn't mean it's wrong," the fae mocked Kenzi's earlier response to her own riddle.

"Don't try to use my own logic on me, because your answer is still wrong. I said that it surrounds itself with faux power, not that it necessarily has faux power," Kenzi corrected her. "Among other things," she added.

The Leviathan scowled, "a technicality."

"Which as you know, can make all the difference in a riddle," Kenzi deflected. "It's not the sky, the ocean, or an emotion. It's you."

"Me?" Levi barked out a laugh. "That's ridiculous."

Kenzi's features instantly darkened, her eyes cold. "The Leviathan. A fae that is dark, and dank in this humid cave, and wears a horrid blue. That tells lies to fae, scams them in order to get what she wants," she took a menacing step forward with each explanation of the riddle. "Who uses riddles to trick people. And now you've been found out, by a mere human no less. So here I am, revealing what you really are. No one else has the courage to speak out against you, but I know the truth. You think you have so much power?" Kenzi was inches from the fae's face. "What would you be without your soul-sucking staff? You're not as untouchable as you think. You're expendable, easily replaced by the next fae in line to be the keeper of Irkalla. You surround yourself with souls of the dead, holding them hostage, using them as leverage. But what happens when no one cares? Or better yet, what happens when you steal a soul that doesn't belong to you?"

"You know nothing you filthy ingrate!" the Leviathan fumed. "How dare you speak to me like this!"

"You have no _idea_ the things I know," Kenzi stood on the balls of her feet, shoving her face into the other woman's personal space. "You stole Hale's soul! He was a warrior, in both the fae and human worlds! He was destined for Valhalla, and you knew it," Kenzi seethed. "You knew by taking him that you were hurting me, which in turn would hurt Bo. You knew she'd come crawling back to you to save him. You used us to get to Bo. You forced her hand, and now I'm going to force yours."

"Enough!" The keeper shouted, no long wanting to hear the truth being thrown back in her face. She swung her staff around, hitting Kenzi hard in the side, sending her flying a few feet back sprawled out on the floor.

Kenzi gritted her teeth against the pain that flared up. Her body ached all over from fatigue and from her previous injuries in her fights against Massimo. Adrenaline raced through her, her anger fueling her motivation.

The Leviathan couldn't risk the human telling anyone her secrets. "There's nothing a pathetic and scrawny creature like you can do. You will writhe in agony as I slowly tear your soul out of your body," her staff glowed in anticipation. "You'll never see the light of day again!"

The young woman rose back onto her feet, "You never planned on letting me live whether I beat you or not! You weren't chosen to be the leader of Irkalla; you were banished here because even your own kind despise you!" Kenzi yelled, breathing heavily through the rage and pain.

"I said _enough_!" the Leviathan roared, a bright light shooting out of her staff, barreling into Kenzi's chest. Kenzi's back arched as the power slammed into her, her mouth open in a silent scream. When the beam of light dissipated, Kenzi's limp body dropped to the ground in a lifeless pile.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I explained in my other fic, TSTCTLS, that I was sick for over a month with pneumonia and almost ended up in the hospital, so I apologise for the long wait. I'm doing better now and have gotten back to writing! This story is almost done. I'd say another chapter or two and it'll be complete. I also have small side project story going on about everyone visiting Kenzi's grave after the season 4 finale. Enjoy, and as always, please leave me a review. Thank you!

* * *

><p><em>Last Chapter...<em>

_The Leviathan couldn't risk the human telling anyone her secrets. "There's nothing a pathetic and scrawny creature like you can do. You will writhe in agony as I slowly tear your soul out of your body," her staff glowed in anticipation. "You'll never see the light of day again!"_

_The young woman rose back onto her feet, "You never planned on letting me live whether I beat you or not! You weren't chosen to be the leader of Irkalla; you were banished here because even your own kind despise you!" Kenzi yelled, breathing heavily through the rage and pain._

_"I said **enough**!" the Leviathan roared, a bright light shooting out of her staff, barreling into Kenzi's chest. Kenzi's back arched as the power slammed into her, her mouth open in a silent scream. When the beam of light dissipated, Kenzi's limp body dropped to the ground in a lifeless pile._

**CHAPTER 12**

Levi started at the prone girl lying in the dirt, waiting for her soul to appear above her still body. Kenzi groaned, the keeper's eyes widening in shock.

Kenzi's eyes slowly fluttered open, moaning as she began to move slightly. "Mother trucker," she mumbled. "That stick packs a bigger punch than I thought." She slid up onto her hands and knees, bringing on hand to clutch at her heart, a lingering pain having settled there.

The keeper was stunned, her features contorted in confusion. "What...how did you...how are you still alive?!"

"Story of my life," Kenzi muttered, her voice gaining more strength. From her abusive home, to living on the streets, to fighting the fae on a daily basis, it really was a wonder how Kenzi was able to survive it all.

"You should be dead, you're just a human!

"Yeah, another fae once underestimated me too because of my species. It didn't end well. Maybe you've heard of her, the Norn?" Kenzi countered, pushing up off the ground.

"No one could have lived through the amount of power I used on you," Levi protested.

Kenzi pulled a small brown object out of her pocket, rolling it between her fingers. "Let's just say I took something back from Massimo that didn't belong to him," she smirked.

"The Twig of Zamora," Levi whispered as realization dawned on her. Her disbelief quickly turned into indignation. "You cheating bitch!"

"Oh so it's only fair when you cheat? That seems to be synonymous with being fae," Kenzi spat. "You aren't getting my soul, so send me back home."

"You're not going anywhere," the keeper seethed. "You think you can make me look like a fool?! Once I take that twig from you, you're mine," encroaching on the girl.

A distinctive click make the fae stop in her tracks. Kenzi's firearm was trained on the Leviathan. "You aren't coming anywhere near me unless you wanna die at the end of my fiancé's gun. It'd be ironic wouldn't it? You took Hale's life and his gun will take yours," she sneered. "Ah!" Kenzi scolded Levi as the fae went to make an offensive move. "Massimo thought he could win against me with this gun, do you really want to take your chances? You're expendable, remember?"

There was a long pause before the fae finally conceded, "what do you want?"

Kenzi named her terms. "You send me back to world of the living, and you never come near my family again. You don't even think about them. If their names cross your mind for even a second, I'll come back down here and land a bullet solidly in your cold undead heart."

"I take souls of the dead, you can't stop me from doing my job," the Leviathan defended herself cockily.

Kenzi held her chin up high in defiance. "None of my loved ones belong here; they're all warriors in their own right, saving lives and fighting to protect our world, no matter how screwed up it is. They belong in Valhalla. A little piece of advice, I don't think it would be wise to steal from a Valkyrie."

"When your so-called _friends_ die, they'll be mine, fed to me by the Pyrippus himself."

Kenzi snarled, "you dare touch their souls and all of Valhalla will rain down on you. The Valkyries will destroy your mind piece by piece, before they start dismembering your body. Trust me, you don't want to piss off one Valkyrie, not to mention the entire sisterhood. And I'll just stand there and watch as you call out for help, as you scream in pain." She said coldly, "I'll stand there with a smile on my face."

The Leviathan was caught off guard by the callousness in the human's words. There was truth behind what the girl said. Every fae knew the legends of the Valkyries. They had gained a reputation over the centuries for being skilled warriors, both physically and mentally. She didn't want to get on the bad side of a Valkyrie, and unfortunately this particular human was very close to one of the most powerful Valkyries to ever exist. She had hoped that by killing Kenzi, her secret regarding her illegal repossession of Hale's soul would have died with the mortal. Thanks to one stupid little piece of wood and a metal weapon, that was no longer an option.

After another moment of contemplation, Levi said, "I will send you back, under two conditions."

"Do you think you're in a good position to be demanding things?" Kenzi waved her gun for emphasis.

"Do you think you're in a good position to being sent back to your world without my help?" the Leviathan rebuffed.

Kenzi considered her words, relenting a bit, "touché. What do you want?"

"You know of the treason I committed by taking Hale's soul under less than proper terms. If I send you back, the Valkyries are not allowed to reprimand me for my actions. In return, Hale gets to live."

"Okay, one wrong made right," Kenzi conceded. "I agree to that as long as you don't reclaim Hale's soul. What else?"

"I never want to see you or any member of your group down here again unless you are dead, understand?" the Leviathan bit out, tired of having to deal with conniving, dishonest creatures. They made Irkalla a living Hel.

Kenzi cut her eyes at the keeper, "you will never see us again alive _or_ dead. I already told you our souls belong to Valhalla. We are warriors."

"Child, you won't have a choice in the matter once the Pyrippus is unleashed and he kills you all. He will annihilate Valhalla, sending the Valkyries into an early extinction," she shook her head at the woman's naivety. This mortal had no idea what was in store for her; none of them did.

Kenzi bit her tongue, knowing arguing her point now would be like telling someone the sky was green. Nothing she said could make the Leviathan see things her way. "Yeah well, we'll cross that rainbow-covered bridge when we come to it. I agree to your conditions, do you agree to mine?"

"Yes."

"Repeat them," Kenzi demanded, wanting Levi to say and acknowledge her end of the deal.

"Hale, you, Bo and the rest of your diverse group get to live without my interference. I will return you to your world," the Leviathan recited in a bored tone.

"And what of Massimo?" Kenzi asked, curiosity winning out.

The Leviathan's mood shifted, a sinister glee spreading across her features. "Oh, the druid will get what he deserves, you can count on that."

Kenzi nodded her approval. "I believe you. At least we can agree on something."

Levi lifted her hand towards the other occupant in the cave. "Although you are not the ones I am rooting for, good luck in the coming months. You will need it." Red tendrils swirled around Kenzi, the keeper's last words to her circling in her mind.

Bo's body leaned heavily against Tamsin. The blonde holding the other woman's hands in her own; it seemed to be the only way she could get Bo to stop digging. Tears continued to race down her cheeks as she mumbled nonsense. Every once in a while she could make out a few words, including the name of their beloved friend. There was not much Tamsin could say or do, her own state of mind was not much better than Bo's. In the span of a day, Tamsin had found out Hale was dead, comforted a grieving Kenzi, realized Massimo had attacked Kenzi when he killed Hale, lost Bo to the Leviathan, comforted Kenzi when she was lost in despair, chased after her favourite human when she was on a suicide mission in order to save her from the origin seed and Massimo, watched Kenzi shoot and kill Massimo in cold blood, had Kenzi actually raise a gun at her and threaten to shoot her, come to realize that she couldn't use her power on Kenzi thanks to her newfound conscience, chased after Kenzi again to save her from the Leviathan and ultimately from herself, found Bo alive only to realize Kenzi was trapped in Irkalla, and now she had to comfort a grieving Bo while dealing with her own loss. After all she had been through, she didn't even know how to act anymore. Everything she did today, every little action she took or word she uttered, was to save Kenzi, and she had failed. She had failed Kenzi, she had failed Bo, and she had failed herself. The one person who needed and deserved her protection more than anyone else, and she couldn't even keep her alive. She should be crying, she should be inconsolable, she should be beating the shit out of something, but all she felt was numb. Was this what it was like to lose someone you love? What did they say, the first step is denial? Is that what she was experiencing right now? She wished Acacia was right, that love would get her killed, because death would be preferable than having to feel like this.

Tamsin recalled Kenzi's words from earlier at the clubhouse, asking how Bo could leave them. She found herself wondering the same thing, how could Kenzi leave her? How could she just throw away her life like that?

The brunette began to tremble against her, her heartache manifesting itself in very real symptoms. Tamsin drew Bo in closer, releasing her wrists as her arms encircled the woman. Bo's jaw was dropped in a silent scream, no sound coming out. She raised the back of her dirty hand up to cover her mouth. Tamsin squeezed her eyes shut, as if she could block out the horrors she had experienced within the past 24 hours. Bo suddenly inhaled sharply, causing Tamsin's green eyes to pop open immediately. She followed her friend's line of sight to a swirl of red light materializing into the form of a figure near the headstone.

"Kenzi?" Bo whispered in disbelief, recognizing the girl before her body had even finished appearing before them.

Kenzi stood, still ready for battle should the need arise. She looked around, her gaze softening as it landed on two of the people she loved most.

"Kenzi!" Bo shouted, launching herself up from the ground and into her sister's arms. The succubus hugged her so hard that Kenzi had difficulty breathing, but Kenzi didn't care. She was just glad to finally be in her sisters arms again, knowing Bo was safe. The younger woman returned the gesture, clinging onto Bo as well.

Tamsin slowly stood from her position, wiping her hands off on her pants as she watched the reunion occurring in front of her. It reminded her of the last time she and Bo had set off the save Kenzi, when the human had been taken captive by Inari. Except there was one distinct difference in this reunion; this time, Kenzi and Bo waved her over, including her in their group hug. Tamsin had quickly gone from outsider during the kitsune incident to being part of the family now. It was a huge change, one Tamsin hadn't wanted at the time, but one she needed.

Tamsin ended the touching moment by cuffing Kenzi on the back of the head.

"Tamsin!" Bo scolded.

"Ow-wuh!" Kenzi emphasized, although the smack didn't really hurt.

"That's for all the shit you put me through today! I went through hell trying to save your stubborn thieving ass! Don't you ever pull that fucking shit again," Tamsin yelled angrily, although there were tears shining in her eyes.

Kenzi's glare dissipated, seeing that the valkyrie didn't know how to deal with the numerous emotions racing through her. Her vulgar language only served to highlight that point. "I'm sorry T, but I had to," she whispered, hugging the blonde to try to ease the pain she had unintentionally caused.

Tamsin gritted her teeth to keep from openly crying in relief. She held the human to her, not uttering another word for fear that her tenuous control on her emotions would break.

Bo smiled at the two, seeing just how close they had become. Bo's hand smoothed over Kenzi's hair, resting on her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kenzi answered automatically. Bo and Tamsin exchanged a look, knowing the younger woman better than to believe she was alright after her ordeal.

"What happened?" Bo questioned gently, wondering how she had escaped Irkalla and what the Leviathan had done to her in the succubus' absence.

Kenzi stiffened, pulling out of Tamsin's and Bo's grasps. Her eyes grew hard and cold. "I'd rather not talk about it. All I'll say is that the Leviathan won't be a problem anymore," she said briskly. Sighing deeply, she added, "Let's just go home, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and started walking away.

The two fae stared dumbfounded at the abrupt change they had just witnessed, each wondered exactly what had caused it and what Kenzi's cryptic words truly meant. They walked quickly to catch up Kenzi, both of them afraid to let her out of their sight just yet.

Bo and Tamsin let Kenzi lead the way, allowing her space to gather her thoughts. After a few minutes, Bo sensed two auras headed their way. She went into defensive mode, quickly catching up to Kenzi. She grabbed her best friend's hand, "Kenzi wait." Knowing better than to question Bo when she was this alert, she halted her movements. Bo stood in front of her, Tamsin coming around to flank her other side. Kenzi let them protect her, despite her pride telling her that after all she had done today, she had proven that she could take care of herself.

Two silhouettes appeared through the dense trees, Hale's smooth tone yelling out Kenzi's name in a mixture of relief and happiness. He swept her into his arms as the two women in front stepped to the side. Kenzi returned his hug, though not with the same amount of enthusiasm. Her body was still rigid, her mind still reeling. She breathed in his scent, trying to let it calm her. She caught Dyson's concerned face over Hale's shoulder. She hadn't seen him all day, but apparently he had been alerted to what was going on. Hale pulled back, checking Kenzi over for any injuries. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head no. "Well we should still let the doc check you over anyways. You've been through a lot today."

"I'm fine," Kenzi responded sharply, brushing past a surprised Hale and continued the way the men had come from.

Dyson frowned at the hurt look on his best friend's face caused by Kenzi's dismissal. "What was that all about?" He asked Bo and Tamsin.

"Wish I knew," the succubus answered truthfully. "One minute she was happy to see us, the next we get the cold shoulder and she's like this." Bo feared she knew what was wrong. Now that Kenzi's mission was over and she no longer had a clear goal to focus on, her mind was drifting, trying to process everything that had happened and why. It was too much for her handle on her own, but she was too independent to let anyone know she was suffering internally. What really had Bo worried was the look she had seen in Kenzi's eyes moments after they reunited when she spoke of the Leviathan. She had never seen Kenzi's blue eyes so cold, so hard, so uncaring. It was the complete opposite of the girl she knew. She had instantly put up a wall to block everyone and everything out the second she was even asked to think about what she had been through. Bo couldn't help but feel guilty that her question was what brought out this reaction in her sister, although she knew it would have inevitably happened anyways.

The groups of fae followed Kenzi back towards the car Dyson and Hale had driven there. Silence prevailed; no one wanted to say anything to incite the young woman's wrath. Bo noticed her stumble once, then twice. After the third time, Bo subtly moved closer to her, knowing that Kenzi was too stubborn to ask for help but also knowing that it was only a matter of time before her body gave out. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her body was finally wearing off without the threat of danger and she was slowly succumbing to the emotional and physical fatigue plaguing her. The others began to notice as well, but Bo signaled them to let her handle this.

Kenzi's knees suddenly buckled, sending her careening towards the ground. She braced for impact, but she never hit the hard dirt. Strong arms encircled her waist, preventing her from face planting into the forest floor. "I got you," Bo whispered in her ear.

Kenzi was tempted to stay in the safety and comfort of that familiar embrace, but she couldn't let herself give in to it. "I don't need any help," she responded, standing up on her own two feet. She took a few more steps before her weak legs quivered, dropping her where she stood.

Bo was instantly at her side. "Your body says otherwise. Let me just carry you to the car." At the look she received, she amended her statement, opting to try a different angle. " Humour me, please? I was afraid I'd never see you again and I just want to have you close."

Kenzi bit her lip, unable to deny her best friend her wish. She nodded, placing her arms around Bo's neck. The succubus slipped her arms under Kenzi's knees and around her back, cradling her friend to her. Kenzi leaned her head onto Bo's chest, listening to her heartbeat. They continued walking. Slowly, she felt Kenzi's body start to relax, the tense muscles loosening. The steady and reassuring thump of Bo's heart lulled her to sleep.


End file.
